Dragon Tears and Raven Curses
by Crushafo
Summary: Beware those who are raven-shadowed. They carry the curse of a thousand deaths upon their hands. Ryo and Seiji get more than what they bargained for when they are thrown into a ruckus about a ghost, her family, and an immortal dragon. Completed
1. Chapter One

Boyohboy. I know it's been a long while since anything of this had been worked on, but that's okay because it is finished now! Yaaay! No more cliff-hangers! Anyway, for those of you who are familiar with this story, please be aware that it has been through immense changes. You may wish to read it from the very start since I changed some of the names, concepts, did grammatical corrections, fixed plot holes, and switched chapters around. I figured if I had to do Minni's work, then I would do this.  
---_Crushafo_   
  
  


Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter One

     "What luck!" Ryo declared as he stared with wide eyes as the little cabin in front of him. He, Nasutei, and Seiji were currently in the forest in the foot of the Hiei mountain range, looking for a home for Ryo. A place where he could live in peace and not have to worry about Byakuen scaring the wrong people.      The people in the tiny farming village several miles away had told them of an abandoned cabin that had been on the market for several decades. Potential buyers always tended to become spooked if and when they should set foot in the cabin, let alone buy it, and those who did buy it quickly set it up for sale once more.      But Ryo did not care. After all, what was he-a Samurai Trooper!-supposed to be scared about? He wanted a cabin-preferably like the one he grew up in-and he was going to have a cabin!      It was small and made completely of wood. It was said that the last person to live peacefully in the cabin had been a carpenter and his family just before World War Two. It only had three rooms and a small dugout in the back that served as a toilet; running water had to be obtained from a small near-by stream; and electricity did not exist. It stood in a slight clearing, surrounded by a dense forest.      But it was simple, and it was beautiful, and it was what Ryo wanted.      So Seiji and Nasutei were glad to let him roam happily through the cabin while they waited outside with the real estate agent, who nervously glanced around. Seiji eyed the little round man when a bird flew out of the bush and the man jumped and squeaked. Seiji slowly edged away from the man.      Ryo came outside with a large smile upon his face a few minutes later. "I'll take it!" he said. The agent sighed unhappily; knowing this customer would be back within a week, demanding to sell it and wanting to get out faster than he had moved in.      "It is rather cute," Nasutei spoke, which earned a glare from Ryo.      "Cute? This is a man's home, Nasutei. It isn't cute!" he told her curtly. She smiled sheepishly and shrugged. While it was true that the female mind was far more complex than the male's, who could really say how or why men acted or spoke the way they did? It had to be testosterone; that's what it had to be. If Ryo was willing to finally move out of her grandfather's mansion and make it on his own, then who was she to complain?      Now . . . If she could just do the same for Jun and Touma . . . She would be set for life!      "How soon do you want to move in?" Seiji asked quietly. Ryo glanced around.      "Well, she obviously needs some work," he began slowly. "The roof will have to be reshingled and some of the walls will need to be reinsulated. The door hinges need oiling and the inside needs to be cleaned up; but it really shouldn't take too long. Like you said, you're going to help me, and if we work together without fighting over who gets to pound nails, then we should be done within a week."      Seiji shrugged. He was only trying to help Nasutei get rid of Ryo; otherwise, he would not be helping but studying for up and coming exams in college. Ryo cheerfully skipped off to the car and bounced in. Seiji raised an eyebrow as he watched his friend riffle around in the glove box for a pen and began to sign the papers the agent flourished forth immediately.      "Isn't funny though how that man is desperate to get rid of this place, and yet is doing so reluctantly?" Nasutei whispered into Seiji's ear. Seiji shrugged again; some situations did not need to be discussed. He had no intention of stopping his friend.      He stiffened as a cold wind blew, and then rubbed his arms through the sweater he was wearing. He glanced as casually as possible over his shoulder at the cottage. It felt as if something was watching him. He glared at the window, and then snapped back in surprise as he watched something white peer through it and at him.      With a flash of some billowing material, the creature was gone. Seiji shivered again and could not shake a feeling of bad foreboding. In the distance, a raven cried out. 

  
     "Ah man! I can't believe I am actually doing this!" Shuu grumbled under his breath as Ryo scrambled cat-like up the ladder to the roof where he and Seiji were currently pounding shingles into. Ryo set the bucket of nails down as he glanced over the edge down to where Shuu was currently raking the over-grown yard.      Ryo laughed down at him. "You were the one who did not want to climb up here and help us!"      "Oh come on! You guys know I am a ground person! But still, just why should I have to be the one to rake?" Byakuen took an absent-minded swipe at Shuu, causing the man to jump back in surprise. "Oh, knock it off!" Shuu swatted at the tiger with the rake as Byakuen gave him a toothy smile.      "You know, you could still back out of what you are doing and come up here and help us!"      "Heck no! As I said, I am a ground person. I like my feet being firmly planted on the soil!"      Ryo laughed again as he pulled away from the roof's edge and began to remove nails out of the bucket. Seiji selectively went through the large pile of shingles next to him, patiently looking from shingle to shingle until he found one to fit in the bare spot before him. He accepted the nail Ryo gave him, and then waited for his dark-haired friend to slather tar on the spot before he fit the shingle over it and nailed it secure.      "Is anyone thirsty?" Nasutei called from inside the house where she and Shin were dusting and mopping. Cries of, "No," "Not yet," and "YES!" were heard. Shin poured Shuu a glass of lemonade as he rushed into the house. A few minutes of coaxing then took place as Shuu wanted to stay in the cool exterior and not do any more raking. After promises of a chocolate cake, Shuu was persuaded to resume his duties.      "You know, it's funny," Shin told Nasutei as they found a pile of women's and child's clothing inside of a sturdy trunk in the far corner beneath the musty bed, "I feel as if I am intruding into someone's personal life." He looked at the rich-colored kimonos, some large, some tiny. Nasutei nodded her head in agreement.      "I know, but the house is now Ryo's, and what else are we to do?" She stared at one of the small kimonos-a bright yellow one with red flowers- and then fingered it lovingly. "This is a very gorgeous kimono," she said softly. "A little girl must have been very proud of this."      A whistle went off and Shin got to his feet and walked over to the stove. He grabbed an oven mitten off the dirty counter and used it to pull the screeching teapot from the heat. He tipped the spout, spilling hot water into a near-by bucket of cold spring water. Pounding echoed through the house as someone worked another nail into another shingle. Shin carried the bucket over to the wall and threw water on it before grabbing a sponge.      The banging came to an abrupt halt, followed by several curses. Shin looked upward at the roof, an amused smile flitting across his features as he poised one hand in the air, holding a dripping sponge.      Nasutei looked up at the ceiling as well. "Who would you say it is this time?" she asked. Shin looked up at the roof.      "Sounds like Ryo, so I'd say he got his foot into the path of the hammer, or he was hammering and got his thumb." They both grinned knowingly. For many men, it was a fact of life: When you hammer, some body part will, eventually, get in the way. It was testosterone, Nasutei felt. That was what everything mounted to with men.      Ryo stumbled into the house, his thumb throbbing painfully. He gave Nasutei a teary-eyed look. She rolled her eyes and made him sit down on the bed and wait as she cleaned his thumb with a clean rag soaked with cool water. Shin pulled the emergency kit from out of nowhere. The pounding began anew, this time by Seiji. Ryo sulked as he watched Nasutei wrap his thumb up in what seemed to be miles and miles of antiseptic and gauze.      "Maybe that should provide you with a well enough barrier of protection should you decide to hammer in any more nails." Nasutei finished both her speaking and wrapping with a flourish of her hands. Ryo glared at his thumb. Whether he was offended at having his thumb wrapped to the point where it was the size of his hand or that he had been clumsy enough to hit it with the hammer in the first place, Nasutei could not tell.      "You sure you used enough?" he grumped sarcastically. Nasutei simply tsked and shooed him out of the house as she went back to her cleaning.      "I'll wager you someone will be back in an hour," Shin said from the wall he was scrubbing.      Nasutei shook her head as she swept the broom over the floor. "No, half an hour. And one thousand yen says it is Ryo again."      "Deal. I'm putting my money on Shuu." 

  
     She watched them work their way through her house. She wanted them to go away and leave her alone. Her husband built this house for herself and her daughter, and they would be back soon and they would not like what they see. Right? Wasn't that how it was supposed to be? She was supposed to keep the house nice and neat until her husband came back.      Or was he? She couldn't remember any more. To be sure, she had tried to keep the house clean, and she had tried to wait for him, but something happened and her daughter went away and bad men came and . . . No, wait. Bad men came first and they . . . Darn! Now she couldn't remember! But she did know that this was her house and these people did not belong! If it was the very last thing she did-brrr, that thought made her shiver-she was going to make these people go away! 


	2. Chapter Two

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Two

     Byakuen growled suddenly from where he rested in the shade of an old oak at the edge of the clearing around the cabin. His great head lifted from where it law between his paws, and his fur rose on end.      "Eh?" Shuu turned from where he was raking the stray weeds and sticks into a pile, and glanced over at Byakuen. "Say Ryo?" he called up to the roof. "Something is wrong with Byakuen!" He glanced back at Byakuen, whose growl grew louder. The wearer of the Kongo armor nervously backed away from the tiger. Ryo looked up from where he was slathering tar.      "Byakuen? Byakuen!" he called down. The large cat stopped growling and licked his chomps. He stared up at his master. His fur still puffed out and the muscles beneath the striped coat were tense as iron. He growled again, stared at an empty space between him and the house, then glanced up at Ryo.      Seiji felt the hair on the back of his neck rise as a sense of something not belonging moved over his being. He grabbed Ryo just as he began to stand up. "No" he gasped, working for breath. His lungs refused to cooperate as a feeling of coldness enveloped his being. Ryo glanced down at him with concern.      "Are you all right?" he asked. Ryo felt his friend's forehead with his hand.      Seiji shook his head. "Something-something is down there." Ryo gave him an odd look, and then nudged his shoulder.      "Have you been in the sun too long?" Ryo asked, more to himself than to Seiji.      "No, something is upsetting Byakuen, because something that doesn't belong down there is there!" Ryo patted his shoulder sympathetically.      "You've been in the sun way too long," he said firmly. Seiji glared at his friend. Ryo began to gingerly step his way across the roof to the ladder. "Hey Nasutei?" he called down, as he perched himself precariously upon the top rung.      Byakuen continued to growl at the white figure before him. He glanced up at his master and growled again, trying to get Ryo's attention to the spot. He sighed with annoyance as Ryo barely gave him a glance. One of these days, he was going to have a long talk with that boy! Ryo called for the female's name again, and then took a step back. Byakuen growled again, earning a sharp snap from his human.      Well! Byakuen curled his tail around his form in wounded dignity. See if he ever did anything nice for Ryo again!      He watched as Ryo backed away from the roof a little more, and took a step down to the next rung on the ladder. Seiji called something to him, and Ryo snapped at him in the same manner as he had snapped at Byakuen.      "Nasutei-iiiiiiiiiiiii!" Ryo slipped on a well-worn and inadvertently slick rail and fell through the air on his back. As he hit the ground with a large thump, a wave of cold swept through him, chilling and freezing him almost instantly. His body stiffened. The door squeaked open as Nasutei exited the house. Ryo could hear Shuu thundering his way over to him.      "Are you all right?" Shuu demanded as he stepped near Ryo and stopped as a wave of cold swept over him.      Nasutei did not appear to notice; she was looking at her watch. "Twenty minutes; Ryo. I was right!" she called over her shoulder as she walked over to where the two boys were caught in an icy embrace. "You owe me a thousand yen!" She placed her fists upon her hips and frowned at the two young men. "What is wrong with you two?" Byakuen growled again. Her eyes drifted over to the tiger, and then followed his line of gaze to the boys. "Is something wrong?" she asked, reaching out and touching their bare cheeks. "Your skin is like ice! Are you two suffering a sun stroke?"      "No!" Nasutei looked up to see Seiji looking down at them. He moved stiffly as he perspired heavily. "Something is here, and it doesn't belong!" Shin came out of the house then, damp spots covering his shirt from where he had dripped water on himself.      "What's going on?" he called from the doorway. Nasutei waved his questions away.      "Come on. We have to get these two inside," she said, pulling the men inside of the house. Shin hurried over and helped her. Seiji glanced down at the spot, caught the flashing of billowing white material, and then clambered down the ladder as adrenaline kicked in and he found the strength to move quickly.      He made a wide berth around the spot Ryo and Seiji had been frozen in. He paused beside Byakuen. "I am right, aren't I?" he asked. Byakuen nodded and stood up. He growled and brushed his head against Seiji's hand. "Good, I thought so." Seiji continued his long sweep around the spot until he reached the door. He dashed inside of the house with Byakuen closely at his heels.      Ryo and Shuu had been lain on the cabin's dirty bed. Nasutei was fetching some damp rags from the kitchen's area as Shin checked for pulses. They all gave Seiji a strange look as he slammed the door shut behind him.      "Look," Seiji said, "something is really wrong here."      "Are you saying I can't live here?" Ryo demanded. The stubborn set of his jaw told the others that the words 'no, you can't' was not an option.      "No, I am not saying that. All I am saying is that something is really wrong here."      "What is?" Shin asked. His eyes grew wide and they quickly darted their gaze around the room. "Is it demons?"      Seiji shook his head. "No, it's not a demon; it's something else."      "Oh man!" Shuu said suddenly. "I remember what it was like to be touched by demons, and that was not a demon! I agree with Seiji! Something is wrong, and it doesn't belong here!"      Ryo shook his head and flailed his hands to get free of Shun's prodding fingers. "Look; I felt it too. I know it was cold, but I can't say that it didn't belong here." Seiji and Shuu glared at him. "I know that I don't have senses like yours, Seiji. I also realize that Byakuen was probably telling me something earlier-" Byakuen gave him a nasty look, and Ryo smiled sheepishly at it "-but if it was here, then it probably means to stay. Maybe it was here before I was, and if that is so, then I am not going to chase it off."      The others gave him uncertain glances.      "What? That is how it's going to be!"      "Whatever," Shuu finally said. "It's your place, so it's your decision. And as for me, I am glad I don't live here with you, but with my family."      Ryo snorted at that, deciding to leave his sarcasm left unsaid about Shuu's eight little brothers and sisters. "Look; if you guys want to finish helping me after what just happened, fine. If not, fine."      Nasutei shook her head. "We will finish," she said, glaring at Shuu and Seiji. "After all, you fought demons and monsters and such, just how scary is the thing you faced outside? Are you men, or are you mice?"      Shuu appeared to debate that. Shin slapped him across the back of the head. "Come on! If you finish your job, I'll make you a chocolate cheesecake!" he said. Shuu brightened immediately.      In the woods somewhere, a raven cawed loudly, causing the white figure standing outside to shiver ominously. 

  
     Everything was completed in two days after that. Several other incidents occurred that caused the others to vow never coming near and visit Ryo ever again. Ryo grumbled about their choices then, but made them promise to write at the very least.      So maybe there was something wrong with anyone who switched the salt with the sugar-no one could explain that situation. Nasutei did not do it because she hated any sort of waste, Shin did not believe in doing such a thing, Seiji was not the kind to pull such nonsense, Shuu thought such behavior on anyone's part was scandalous, and Ryo knew he never did it.      And then there was the matter about the tar. Ryo knew he placed it under the tarp with the lid firmly sealed. He knew it; Seiji knew it because Seiji had been there watching him do it; so how in the world did it get to the top of the roof and spill all over the shingles?      Ryo sat before the fire in the new fireplace he had finished plastering earlier that day. The fire was small. He only wanted it to harden the plaster, not add to the lingering intense summer heat. Byakuen lay across beside it on the bare floor. Ryo leaned back against the furry stomach and watched the licking flames.      "So," he began uncertainly. The silence hung into the air after that, broken only with the occasional thump of Byakuen's tail against the wooden floor and the constant crackling of the flames. Shadows-created because it was night and the only light source was the fire itself-twisted around the room, giving the atmosphere an eerie feeling. It had been too long since he had been alone with himself. Ryo smiled and scratched Byakuen behind the ears. "It's just like old times!" he laughed.      The tiger gave him a cold look. "What?" He settled back against the stomach, watching the fire. "I know; you're still mad at me, aren't you?" The tail thumped yes in reply. "Look, if it makes you feel better, I don't think we are in any real harm. What was it that Grandma used to tell me? 'Ghosts cannot kill a living creature.' "      Byakuen huffed at that. Ryo shrugged. "I know. She also said that ghosts are capable of harming people, but that's okay. I mean, if the ghost had really hated me and wanted to get rid of, it would have done so when it had the chance, right?" Again, Byakuen's tail thumped against the floor. Ryo scratched his head; he felt the word no was being conveyed in that movement.      "I wish you could talk; we might actually have a decent conversation one of these days," he said. "I wonder what everyone else is doing right now?" he asked. "Does sort of feel a bit lonely around here." He glanced over to the window where he could see a sliver of the shining moon. He glanced away and back at the fire just as a raven flew across the sky. 

  
     A shirtless Ryo hummed softly to himself the next morning as he exited the cabin and strode over to the spring flowing past the house at the opposite side of the clearing. He grabbed a bucket from a small shelf built next to the water and dipped it into the spring. He carried the filled bucket back over to the cabin, and froze at the doorway as the hairs on the back of his neck rose upward in warning.      He warily turned to see a woman dressed in ragged white clothes staring menacingly at him. "Can I help you?" he inquired curiously. She tilted her head and glared at him. She shook a finger, opening and closing her mouth. Not a sound was heard from her.      "Could you speak up please? I can't hear you?" Ryo began to feel nervous as the woman became angrier and shook a fist at him. She jumped into the air once, gestured around the yard with the flat of her hand, and her mouth moved some more. She shook another finger at him and then stomped away with a silent huff.      Byakuen growled from the interior of the house and swept past Ryo to stand between him and the woman.      The woman cringed back when she saw Byakuen, and said something. She looked at Ryo and then made a gesture at the tiger. Ryo glanced from her to his pet.      "Byakuen," he called softly, "come here." Byakuen growled. His fur stood on end as he faced the woman. "Byakuen?" _Grrrrrowl._ "Byakuen!" The woman threw her hands up in an indignant defeat and then she disappeared into the woods without a backward look.      Byakuen snuffed and padded back into the house. Ryo blinked with shock. "What was that about?" he wondered. He turned to look at Byakuen, who laid down before the fireplace. Ryo tromped up to him and set the bucket of water harshly down on the floor.      "All right!" He tried to appear intimidating to the tiger. It was hard thing to do to a kitten, let alone a five-hundred pound feline predator. "What just happened?" Byakuen opened one eye, and then smacked Ryo's shins with his tail. 

  
     She huffed as she paced through the woods, angry with herself for not being able to communicate with the mortal, and angry with the mortal for being an idiot and not getting the hint that she wanted him to go away. She thought about the conversation she tried to hold with him.      She tried to tell him he didn't belong; in fact, she did just that. She had waved her hand around and told him that she owned the place. Her husband made this for her, and she didn't need any youngsters coming onto the property and ruining it. And then that tiger had to come out. Why was there such an animal like that in Japan to begin with? She hated him for coming, and hated him for making her feel bad. Whatever happened to courtesy with adults?      The boy had made the place nice, and that in itself was sort of all right because she was supposed to keep it that way for her husband when he came back-or was he? She couldn't remember-but the boy didn't belong, and it was very inappropriate for someone like him to live in the same place as her.      She blushed properly. Kami! Where was her daughter? If she had been there, she could help her get rid of these horrible pests! Ghostly tears appeared in her eyes as she remembered her daughter's fate. She thought wistfully of the boy and wondered if she would ever have a son like him. He did seem noble and caring, but when she looked at him, why did she always get the impression of fire? 

  
     A raven called out in the forest and hopped from one branch to another before settling down and watching the house with glinting red eyes. 


	3. Chapter Three

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Three

     Seiji was at the computer as he typed away at a college report due in a few days when his mother entered his bedroom with the cordless phone.      "It sounded rather urgent," she explained to him as she tossed the phone to him and then quickly exited the room after he caught it with a single hand. Seiji glanced at the keyboard, and then pinned the telephone between his ear and shoulder as he resumed his typing.      "Hello?"      "Eh, Seiji?"      Seiji rolled his eyes. "Ryo, where are you calling me from? I thought the cabin doesn't have phones."      "It doesn't!" Seiji's eyes narrowed as he dimly heard a car in the background.      "What's wrong?" he asked as his voice became hard.      "Man," Ryo grumbled something low and perhaps foul beneath his breath, "I can't call anyone without them being suspicious."      "Good reason to. The nearest available phone for you is a good eleven miles west of where your cabin is. You said you didn't plan on calling anyone with that distance unless it was an emergency."      "Oh." There was a long pause, and then Seiji heard Ryo sigh on the other end of the line. "Look, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you, but I do have a problem."      "What?" Seiji stopped typing and swiveled away from the computer screen in his chair. He leaned back and felt his spine pop in several areas.      "Well, it's hard to explain. You know how you said that there was something that really didn't belong at the cabin?"      "Yes. What about it?"      "Well, I sort of have a problem with it. Now, I know I said I wouldn't worry about it, but the problem goes beyond that thing. And speaking of which, I also found out what that thing was."      "What?"      "Well, I did some research on the cabin, you know?" Seiji nodded, then felt like an idiot because he knew Ryo could not see the movement. Ryo continued on without waiting for a vocal response. "Listen to this." Seiji heard some shuffling and then paper being unfolded. "A few years before World War Two, some people bought some land high in the mountains. The family was a carpenter, his wife, and their four-year-old daughter. Two years later, the carpenter was called in to fight the war, leaving his wife and girl behind. A year later, he was killed in battle. His wife apparently took it pretty hard. The old timer I spoke to said she never came off the mountain after that. Instead, she sent her daughter for the few groceries needed mail weekly. A year after that, some very unforgivable happened." Seiji listened to the rage appear suddenly Ryo's voice, and waited for his friend to take a few deep breaths to calm troubled nerves.      "Anyway, as I was saying, something terrible happened. No one really knows what happened, but people came up to see the woman and her daughter after two weeks had passed and no one had seen any of them. They found the body of the mother facedown in the well. She had been-" Ryo took another breath "-violently beaten and raped. She was dead when they found her. Her daughter was missing. Since then, there had been numerous sightings concerning a ghost who kept scaring people off the property."      Seiji had a feeling he knew where everything was leading up to, but he knew he should say it anyway just to humor his friend. "And the whole point of this story?"      "The point?" Ryo almost sounded relieved to be asked the question. "The point is, I saw this ghost that is said to be the spirit of the dead woman. She made all kinds of gestures, but I couldn't hear what she was saying. Byakuen doesn't quite like her."      "What does this have to do with me?"      "Okay, Now I realize how you don't like coming up here and all, but could you?" Seiji rolled his eyes at the begging tone. "Oh please? Look, something needs to be done to appease the ghost! Every time I think about what happened, I want to tear her murderers apart. I feel we owe her something."     _ Wait a minute _. . . "We?"      "Sure, we did come on to her property and disturb it, didn't we? And we are the Samurai Troopers? What sort of fighters are we that we allow rapists and murderers free?"      _I'm not sure I like the way this is heading. _Seiji ran a hand through his hair. "Look, it happened long before we were born. We can't be responsible for that; besides, we have our own lives to live."      "I know that but . . . Well, I think we owe her something after all. I mean, if you were a ghost who had died rather violently, wouldn't you want someone to appease you?" There was a long pause, and then, "Seiji?"      "Yes."      "I'm going to ask a really big favor of you, and it really mean a lot should you say yes, you would do it."      "What is this favor?"      "Now, it's not like it is a bad favor; after all, there are worse things I could ask you, right?"      "Ryo-"      "And it's really no biggy. There's hardly any work involved and-"      "Ryo!"      "What?"      "Just ask what you are going to ask. It's not like you to beat around the bush like this."      "Okay, I was sort of wondering if you would come out here to my cabin."      "You already asked if I would. Why? what help would I be in appeasing ghosts?"      "Well, because you see and hear things the rest of us can't. I mean, you can go deeper beneath the surface than the rest of us can! I really need someone who can talk to spirits, and you seem to be the best bet. I need to find out what must be done to put this spirit to rest."      "Look Ryo, I am not a priest; I am not trained in this sort of thing."      "I know that! But you're also the one who most connected to spiritual stuff, and your jin is courtesy, and I'm probably too blunt to take care of the matter. It's just that I would feel a lot better if I had someone I could trust helping me with this matter. Please? I'm not asking for much. I'll even take your older sister out on a date for one night to get her out of your hair."      There was a long pause. People rarely took Seiji's older sister out, but when she was, she tended to be very pleasant to be around with for a whole week afterwards. It was something Seiji was always grateful for. However, with some proper negotiations . . . "Two dates."      "Oh man! You're really pushing it."      "Hey, I'm not the one asking for a favor here."      "Fine, fine. Whatever. I'll take her out on two dates."      Seiji smiled. It was such a steal! He almost regretted putting Ryo through hell by putting up with Yayoi, but since she never got two dates in a row by the same person, then she was bound to be over-generous and in a doubly good mood. "I will have to finish researching my paper for college, not to mention I do have classes. I will be there for the weekend though, since I don't have classes on Saturday."      "Sure. Say, why don't I come down there and give your sister one of the dates in the meantime."      "What about Byakuen?"      "I was going to drop him off at Nasutei's. Jun would like to see him no doubt, and I don't want any zookeepers coming along and running off with him while I am not there to protest."      Seiji laughed. "I'll speak to you later."      He hung up the phone, swiveled around in his chair, and then resumed his typing. 

  
     "Man! I can't believe you are actually doing that!" Shuu gave Ryo a dumbfounded look as he draped himself backwards over his bed. He watched upside-down Ryo attempt to tie a bow tie the way it was supposed to be. "You actually said you would take Yayoi 'the battle-axe' on a date? Woe! Do you have a death wish or what?" Ryo glared at the tie's reflection in the mirror he stood before with annoyance. He began to yank it out of its place.      "Look, I had to get Seiji to do a favor for me."      "Yeah but . . ." Shuu blinked, then rolled around onto his stomach. He regarded Ryo closely. "Were you really that desperate?" Ryo snorted. Shuu had taken Yayoi out on a date once-to repay Seiji for all the homework he had been helped with-and he was scarred for life because of it. He never told them what really happened. Well, he did hint that it involved flying soup and flashing knives, but that was the total extent of it. "I mean, I could have done you the favor."      The tie finally broke under Ryo's questing hands. He gave it a look of annoyance. "This isn't working," he grumbled. He looked at Shuu through the mirror. "Do you have a clip-on tie I could borrow?" he asked.      Shuu rolled off the bed and walked over to his dresser. "I mean, I know you came over to see me about advice about the date, but why didn't you ask Seiji?" He pulled a clip on out of a drawer and tossed it over to his friend.      Ryo gritted his teeth. He quickly snatched the clip on as it whizzed through the air to him. "Look," he began patiently, "it just so happens that I have to take Yayoi out two times. Now, tell me what she really liked as far as you know."      Shuu whistled. "Back up a bit here," he said. "You have to date Yayoi twice? That must be some favor you are asking of Seiji!"      Ryo shrugged as he turned the clip-on bow around in his hands. He tugged his collar down to secure it. "I know. As it is, I don't want to mess up on the first date and then go through hell on the second, if there is a second. You know I always do what I promise to, so I would prefer not to blunder it."      "Okay." Shuu collapsed on his bed again, tucking his hands beneath his neck. He glanced over at Ryo. "First of all, compliment her on her hair, she really likes that. Second of all, whatever you do, don't let on that you know she is nicknamed the battle axe!" Ryo frowned. What exactly went on during his date? He cast Shuu a curious look.      Shuu shrugged sheepishly. "Living with four sisters will make a man careless towards other women's feelings. Well, beyond recognizing whether it's that time of the month of not."      Ryo rolled his eyes. "I really didn't care to know that," he said. He turned to face Shuu. "How do I look?" he asked. Shuu shrugged.      "Hey, don't ask me. I'm not a fashion freak."      "I should have gone to see Nasutei instead of you."      "Not my problem."      "Sheesh." 

  
     "So, tell me about this friend of yours. Funny the way I always seem to get dates from your friends." Yayoi planted herself in front of her younger brother as he was coming down the stairs of their house. She was dressed in an off-shoulder pale yellow dress, the hem flaring with white lace and her arms bare in the light.      Seiji sighed, wondering if he should either sweeten her towards Ryo or maybe let him fend for himself. Nah, better not do that; in a way, Ryo was doing him a favor. "He's okay," Seiji said, knowing the best thing he could do was perk Yayoi's interest. She raised an eyebrow at it.      "Okay? Is that all? What if he's actually some sort of drug addict who is secretly trying to get into my skirts?"      Seiji rolled his eyes, knowing full well his sister good take care of herself. She didn't get the nickname of battle-axe for nothing. "He's okay. He's a very decent sort of fellow, likes to watch out for others and I'll even grant he has good manners."      She huffed and crossed her arms. "Tell me, is he a better boar than the last friend who took me out?"      "Shuu? Oh yes, most certainly."      "Well, I don't believe you."      Seiji sighed. "Look, I know you are upset that Shuu called you battle axe, dumped the soup all over your dress, ate your desert, and even almost gave you a crew cut with his knife when he was playing around with the cutlery, but I guarantee you; Ryo is nothing like that. He's very good with women, he's good with animals, he treats both with respect, and I am quite sure you two will get along."      Well, almost sure. But close enough.      "Fine. But, little brother, if he disappoints me, your life-as we know it of course-will be put through more hell than you have ever thought possible."      Seiji watched her with half-lidded eyes as she twirled around and flounced off._ It's a good thing Arago never knew she existed. He would have loved to have her join his side._ He shuddered at the thought. As he walked off the steps and through the living room, he noticed the open window. From the open window he could see the cherry trees that surrounded their house. He froze in mid-step as a raven lit upon a branch and stared at him with glossy red eyes.      Shaking his head, Seiji walked into the kitchen. The raven nodded, as if bobbing its head, and then flitted away. 


	4. Chapter Four

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Four

     "Ryo, whatever did you do to my sister?"      "Huh?"      "I know you heard me fine. The phone lines are very clear today."      "I didn't do too much."      "Oh no? She's floating around the house like nobody's business, happy as a kid who just won a free grabbing spree at the candy store!"      "Well, I complimented her on her dress. I said I thought she was very pretty in yellow, and it was a lovely dress."      "Was that all?"      "Um, I held the door open for her, held her seat for her, showered her generously with compliments, and rescued her hat after a raven knocked it into a puddle of water."      Seiji paused, the words a raven echoing through his mind. He shook himself free of the cold feeling that settled in his chest. "A raven?" he asked hoarsely.      "Yeah. Strangest thing, really. It swooped right out of the air and knocked Yayoi's hat off her head into a mud puddle. I stooped to rescue it, and this tiny girl bumped into me, almost knocking me over."      "Little girl?"      "Yeah . . ."   
  
  
_      "Where to now?" Ryo asked Yayoi. He knew from past experiences with what Seiji and Shuu had told him that Yayoi liked to take charge of things, or at least be in control with what was happening. They had just finished dinner at a quaint little restaurant that overlooked the city. The night sky was on fire with thousands of neon lights. He rather liked the affect the flower-decked interior had against the city hustle and bustle outside.      Apparently, Yayoi did too. She wasn't nearly as bossy as he thought she would be.      Yayoi seemed to contemplate the question. Boys rarely went out with her, and she rather enjoyed being waited upon hand and foot, even if it was by one of her little brother's friends. This one at least had the courtesy to be polite towards her. "Hmmm, well." She smiled and tugged at the wide brim of her straw hat, a yellow ribbon matching the color of her dress twined around it and fluttering in the cool evening breeze. "It's a lovely night, I think it would be wonderful if we called a taxi and went to the shore. A lovely walk beside the beach would make our night seem so much more fulfilling."      She smiled into the darkness, not noticing how Ryo grimaced at the thought of the sea. She turned back to him, and the grimace turned into a smile.      "Well," he began, "it is a very good suggestion."      "Good." Yayoi stepped forward onto the street to hail a cab when something cawed suddenly and swooped through the air, neon lights glinting from dull black feathers. Sharp claws raked at the yellow ribbon and the raven tore the hat from Yayoi's head. "What?" The hat fell with a sploosh into the muddy gutter water at their feet.      "Here, allow me." Ryo bent at the waist to grab the hat when someone yelled and pushed him forward. Ryo lost his balance and almost fell into the street and in the path of oncoming cars, but was stopped by Yayoi grabbing his shirttails and pulling him back to safety. They both turned around to see a little girl with dark hair and a starburst-like scar across the left cheek staring up at them.      The little girl burst into tears. "I'm so sorry!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Ryo's leg. "Forgive me!" She released it and ran away from them, ducking through the sparse amount of people walking around on the sidewalk.      Ryo scratched his head. "I wonder what that was about," he said. Yayoi shrugged.      "Who cares?" she said. "It was obviously just a clumsy little child who needs to find her parents." She grabbed Ryo's arm and blushed prettily. "Thank you for rescuing my hat," she told him in a soft voice, the tone far more gentle than what he had associated with her that night thus far. "No one ever does sweet things like that for me."      Ryo felt himself turning red. Whether it was from the close approximately of Seiji's older sister, or whether it was from her compliments, he really could not say. He glanced towards the direction where the child ran. That was when he noticed the raven flying overhead in the same direction.   
  
  

_      "Ah, so that's what happened. Yayoi came home and told mother what a wonderful friend I had, saying he was such a wonderful gentleman and all. Hard to see it of you, Ryo."      "Ha ha. Very funny."      "Heh! Well, okay. You paid half of your deal, and now I have to carry out this favor. I can't be gone past this weekend Ryo, I have several exams at college I cannot afford to miss."      "I know. Don't worry about it. We'll be up and down that mountain in no time."   
  
  
     "Yeah, right. No time."      Seiji glared at Ryo across the sun-filled cabin exterior. It was a few hours before sunset, and both of them were currently seated across from each other on different sides of the room. Ryo shrugged sheepishly. Byakuen sat at Ryo's feet and purred in contentment as Ryo rubbed his ears.      "Hey, is it my fault that the spirit has refused to show up in the past few days?"      Seiji felt the glare relaxing from his face. "No," he admitted, leaning back. "It's just that we have searched all over this place the entire weekend, I'm due back home tonight, and we haven't found anything. I feel guilty about your taking my sister out next Thursday evening to that piano concert and I haven't done anything about it."      Ryo gave him a smile. "Hey," he said. "I think I learned the secret to making Yayoi happy, so it really doesn't matter."      "Oh?" Seiji leaned his head back against the window frame. He thumped it lightly a couple of times with the back of his head, trying to place himself in a relaxing state. He glanced over at Ryo, who waited for the inevitable question. "Well, share the wealth. What is the secret?"      Ryo gave him another smile; a sly one this time. "To make Yayoi happy, you have to give her exactly what she wants, but it must seem as if it was your own idea."      Seiji raised an eyebrow. "I know about the first part, but never thought of the second part. Yayoi always did her own thinking of that region."      Ryo shrugged, looking away. "Yeah, well, when you appear to come up with it all on your own, the girl gets this feeling that here is the man that knows what you want, and realizes a real dandy of a woman when he sees her."      Seiji's eyes snapped open. He gave Ryo a horrified look.      "What?"      "You don't like Yayoi, do you?"      Ryo gave him a look of equal horror, and then burst out laughing. "Are you kidding? Me? Like the battle-axe? Not likely." He snickered. "Look, can I help it if I happen to know what makes a woman happy? I figure the more I make Yayoi happy, the more inclined you will be to help me with this mess."      "Oh? I thought we will be over and done with once I was able to communicate with the ghost, assuming I can."      "I have no doubts you can. It's just that I feel this whole problem extends a little more beyond talking. I mean, now that I think of it, no one knows where the woman's daughter went. They can't figure out why the woman would hang around here instead of just going away and finding the lost daughter." Ryo leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.      "So you think this might have a lot to do with the daughter?"      "Yeah, sort of. I mean, if the daughter is still alive, she would have to be anywhere from her sixties to her seventies. I mean, we're talking world war two here, and that was almost six decades ago."      "Key word there, my friend: if. The daughter could very well be dead after all these years, or was killed by the same people who killed her mother and her body was just never found."      Ryo shrugged. "I don't know. Let's hope that this idea of yours will work."      Seiji, after he and Ryo had spent all of Saturday and almost all of Sunday searching the property for the ghost who would not be found, decided to go for an age-old technique used for spotting ghosts. When it is neither day, nor night, spirits will walk among the living. Seiji knew from what his grandfather told him that this was the twilight time. Spirits were the most restless at this time for odd reasons. Seiji was going to slip himself into a trance-like state and walk among the spirits in the time when it was neither day nor night.      Ryo wasn't too big on him doing it. He felt it was slightly risky, and while there was risk in what he did, Seiji knew it was no more dangerous than walking down the crowded streets of Tokyo during the rush hour where someone might shove you in front of a car accidentally or something to that affect.      Ryo was trying his best to be quiet and allow Seiji to fall into the dream-like state, but he was far too jumpy to remain still. Seiji himself was feeling rather restless. He settled back against the window frame and tried to force his breathing to become shallower and longer.      The less oxygen his brain received, the more light-headed he felt. With the lack of oxygen forcing him to the brink of unconsciousness, Seiji forced himself into the trance where nothing filtered in and nothing filtered out, and without his body to hamper his spirit down, he sent it forth.      Ryo stared at the prone body for a moment, knowing he shouldn't move. He satisfied himself by scratching Byakuen. The white tiger growled, and stood up. He padded over to the open door and outside. Ryo glanced over at Seiji's body, over to where Byakuen stood staring with his fur raised and a growl emitting from the depths of his throat, and then swore.      "Looks like you're out of luck bud!" Ryo told Seiji as he ran from the cabin over to where Byakuen stood. The tiger loped off ward into the woods, and Ryo followed after him.   
  
  


Return 


	5. Chapter Five

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Five

     Seiji stared at the misty world around him. It was the same world as the real one, but everything was distorted and dim as if covered by a thick black veil. Colors were muted shades of gray. Around the property, in bright slashes of gold and cream that stood out in direct contrast to the rest of the drab gray world, were rings of color. The surroundings beyond seemed distorted and rippled unsteadily, as if what lay beyond the encircled property did not exist.      But it did. What was steady within the rings was the territory of the ghost. She could not go beyond the rings because she was tied to this area only. She was trapped by a purpose, and that purpose took shape in the rings of light      Only two other times he had done gone spirit-wandering, and each time felt easier going into the world in this form. He did not care of it; the only reason why he was doing this was because Yayoi was in such a nice mood, and he really did want Ryo to take her out.      Not that he didn't like the idea of Ryo winded up with Yayoi, he mused absently to himself as he wandered across the yard. Mist swirled upward and wrapped itself around his leg. They really weren't a very good couple. Given time, he knew Yayoi would grow tired of Ryo and Ryo easily took offense against sharp words, which his sister was famous for uttering. However, that didn't stop him from taking advantage of the situation. When Yayoi was happy, the whole world smiled upon you. When Yayoi was unhappy, life was sheer misery.      Distantly, he heard Ryo say something. It felt as if his friend had been eating syrup and had not taken the time to clear his throat as his voice was thick and smudgy. Seiji turned to stare at the house. Moving in slow motion, Byakuen emerged from the cabin, stopped for a long moment to growl at Seiji, and then he slipped into the woods.      Seiji frowned. This was just like all the other times he had been in this state; time had seemed to move at a standstill in the regular world compared to the spirit world. He glanced around his surroundings, knowing he had to find the ghost. But why was he growling at Seiji? What was he trying to tell him?      Well, Byakuen had always been upset whenever the ghost was reported near, so maybe he should check it out . . . Seiji looked around, trying to find the shadowy figure of a woman. A scream filled the air suddenly. It rose sharply and shrilly over the mist, full of desperation and fright. Seiji turned his head in time to see a fleeting white color flash by, followed by a river of red. He shielded his eyes as droplets spread themselves from the river and began to swirl around in flashes of pink and orange.      Another scream rang out through the world. It shattered the mist and causing it to curl within itself and cover the upper part of the world besides just hovering over the ground. The scream dipped and swayed, hovering beneath and over the lines of shrill. It dropped suddenly just as Seiji was forced to cover his ears. He slowly uncovered them, but heard nothing but the dead roar of a still wind that stirred the mist.      Seiji glanced over to see if Ryo and Byakuen had somehow heard what he had heard, but they were gone. Something black flashed and Seiji ducked to avoid having his eyes raked out by an angry raven. It cawed at him before disappearing into the mist. That was when a voice began to rise and fall, sobbing deeply. Seiji remembered an old Angelo-Saxon saying a pen pal from England told him: _Beware of those who are raven-shadowed. They carry the curse of a thousand deaths upon their hands. _      He had asked what it meant, and the friend, a girl who had seemed wise beyond her years, had explained that it originated from a time when battles often took place across the islands of Great Britain. The dead attracted crows and ravens to feast upon the flesh, and those that survived were shadowed by the thousands of birds that flocked over them. The dead could be pretentious and selfish, and so many times cursed those lucky enough to survive the battle.      Seiji kept a careful eye out for the raven as a terrible foreboding about the entire thing began to settle in his chest. Ravens were also symbols of treachery, trickery, and hidden secrets among cultures of the Western world. Maybe Ryo was right, in a special sense. Maybe this entire affair extended beyond the death of the woman.      He followed the crying, drawing a sense of calm towards himself as the sobs sent flashes of nervousness through him. As he walked, he noticed a form beginning to take shape in the mist. He stopped once and squinted carefully at it. The thick mist made it difficult for him to see. He walked closer to it, the muffled sobbing becoming louder.      He noticed the pool of water first, and then the woman who stood beside the pond. Her hair was a rich brown color streaked with gray. She hovered at the edge. Near by, floating in the water, was an indistinguishable lump. Seiji paused silently beside the woman. He reached a ghostly hand out and touched her clothed shoulder. She jumped at the contact almost as much as he did from the icy wave that rocked through his soul.      She gazed at him with reddened eyes, and then they narrowed quickly in hatred. "What do you want?" she demanded coldly as she stepped from the water's edge circled around the pool away from Seiji. Her eyes were wary and distrustful. Perhaps it would have been better if Ryo had asked Shin for his help. "You are one of those who came and left, but not until after you left a mark on my property!"      "Why are you still here?" Seiji asked, feeling he should go the direct route. She turned her head from him. A ghostly tear fell down her face. "I don't know," she said. "I am waiting for my husband to come back, I think. And my daughter is gone, but she said she would come back to me."      "Your husband is dead," Seiji replied, remembering how Ryo had told him the carpenter had been killed in World War Two. The woman rounded upon him fiercely.      "He is not!" she screamed. "He is coming back to me!"      "How do you know?" Seiji shot back. The sound of his voice, calm and level, eased the ghost. The rage in her face was replaced with sorrow. Seiji continued as he tucked one hand into a trouser pocket. "How do you know? He died in the war. Where has he left you? He left you here. You died here. Where is your daughter? Why haven't you tried seeking her? Your husband is dead; why haven't you gone to him? What has this waiting around here done for you?"      "No!" She curled her fists and hugged her shoulders. "He promised me he could come back! I said I would wait for him! And he will come back; he has to! My daughter said she was going to him; that she would bring him back. My baby promised me! She took my ring and swore she would bring it back, and I know the ring would keep her safe! The connection of the ring tells me she is alive, and she will come back to me!" She clung to her hopes as if they were the only things she could depend upon.      Seiji gave her a sidelong glance. "Ring?" he asked. "What ring? What connection? Your husband died in the war; he was killed as many other soldiers were. Your daughter could very well be dead too, no one knows what happened to her."      "No! No! No! They are alive, they will come back to me-"      "Come back to what? You are dead."      She stopped at his voice, and then sunk slowly to the ground. "I know," she whispered. "But the ring, it can bring me back." She looked up, her eyes shining with pride. "They will come back to me! The ring will show them the way! I did my best to keep this place ready for my family, and they won't disappoint me!"      "Why do you depend so much upon this ring?"      "Because it is a very special ring," she replied with a haughty voice. Seiji sighed and released a puff of air in annoyance. How did one talk to stubborn ghosts? He needed to control his temper; that was what he needed to do. This place set him on edge, giving him a shorter fuse than usual. He did not trust the utter silence or the fact that the raven reminded him of the one he had seen before at home.      "How is it special?" he asked.      She glanced sideways at him. "You aren't dead," she accused suspiciously.      "I needed to talk to you," Seiji replied. He returned her gaze, doing so steadily. "I might be able to help you," he began slowly. Her interest perked in the obviousness of the curiosity shining in her eyes. "I might be able to find this daughter of yours for you. Tell me about her, and about this ring."      "It's a very special ring," she said suddenly.      "Yes, I know."      "It's a very old ring too." She chewed nervously on her lip. "It dates very far back into my family. It was made by a dragon, and it has a Dragon Tear in it."      "Dragon tear?"      "Whenever a dragon cried, it was only in pain. That pain is from their very heart, and it is because something happened beyond their normal powers. The power leaks through their eyes in a moisture form, and then crystallizes into a jewel. They are very powerful. This tear was cried by the Queen of Black Dragons herself!"      "Is that so?" That would explain why she places so much belief in such a simple object. But what kind of power is in the jewel? And what kind of dragon was the Black Dragon? "What does it tell you?"      "It tells me that my daughter is still alive." A look of uncertainty crossed her face. "At least, I think she is the one who has the ring . . ."      "Does it tell you where you can find her?"      She shook her head, and dipped a hand into the pool of water. "No," she said sadly. "It doesn't. Only the Queen could be able to tell you that, because she knows where all the jewels she ever cried are because they contain a tiny smidgen of her power." She brought her hand up. The water poured through her fingers.      "And where can I find this queen?" Seiji wondered.      She shrugged. "She sleeps in the darkest caves in the mountains here." She made a vague gesture with a hand. "Are you sure you can help me find my daughter? It's been an awful long time since I've seen her. I imagine she would be a bit older now than what she had been years ago, but she will always be my little baby."      "Of course." Seiji inclined his head toward her.      She frowned suddenly and stood up and flung her ragged clothes around her body. "Wait a minute, how do I know you aren't out to get the Dragon Tear yourself?" she demanded coldly. Seiji raised his eyebrows.      "Pardon," he began, "but I have no care for something like that."      "You are one of those people who want to take my home and property away from me! And how did you manage to get here? You aren't dead! Get out! Get away from me! Leave me alone!" The woman burst into tears and ran away from him. Seiji was left behind with question marks drifting in his mind. Such an outburst and abrupt change of personality! Just his luck to be have to appease a bipolar ghost. What did he do to bring that on? He narrowed his eyes and wiped his forehead. His eyes dropped down at the lump in the water. It flipped over, face up.      He recoiled in horror as he saw it was a slashed and nude female body. It bore an exact resemblance to the woman he had spoken to just moments ago.   
  
  
     "Now what?" Ryo stared at the bushes Byakuen was growling at. The tiger had stopped leading Ryo through the forest. Ryo leaned forward for a better look and something sprang out of the bushes. It raked at Ryo's face and cawed loudly. Ryo stumbled back, feeling his flesh tear beneath the talons. He slapped the black blur away from his face and it solidly hit a tree trunk. Byakuen jumped between him and the creature with a low snarl. Ryo wiped a stream of blood from his eyes, clearing his vision in time to see that the creature that had attacked him was a raven. It sprung into the air.      "Wait!" he called out as Byakuen ran after the raven. He stumbled after them through the woods, dodging swinging limbs and grasping branches that tore at his clothes. "Byakuen!" he yelled, his voice muffled by the thick leaves. He stopped suddenly as his world plunged into silence. Not a breeze blew; not a leaf rustled. Where had his charging tiger gone? Ryo began to glance around for the path of destruction that Byakuen created as he rushed though. There was nothing except what lay behind him. A chill filled him.      He wiped the blood from his face. It was beginning to clot.      Ryo bumped into something very solid. He jumped back and whirled around, his body falling into a protective stance. A person wearing black clothes and a black cloak pinned by a silver tear-shaped buckle stood before him. Feathers ran long the line of his shoulders and hips as long black hair fell over his shoulders like a stream of black liquid. The man took a step forward and Ryo tensed.      "Is something the matter?" the man wondered, his voice ringing beautifully through the silence.      "Who are you?" Ryo demanded.      The main raised his eyebrows at the harsh tone. "Is that how you greet your visitors?" he asked. Ryo did not move from his stance. Something about this man irked him . . . The man casually turned his face from Ryo as he brushed unseen lint from his feathered shoulders. He turned and looked back at Ryo. "Let us start this all over again," he began, "seeing as how we started off wrong. My name is Hisoka." He bent his head in acknowledgement of who Ryo was. "And yours is?"      "Why do you want to know?" Ryo demanded.      "Simply because we shall be seeing one another very often in the near future."      "How is that?"      "You are looking for something." Ryo narrowed his eyes and tilted his head.      _Not that I know of,_ he thought to himself. "Meaning?"      "Meaning I want what you are looking for."      Ryo decided it was best to play along. He forced his muscles into relaxing as he slowly straightened his body out. He glanced to the side, hoping for any sign of Byakuen. "Depends," he began. "I look for many things in life. What would you be looking for?"      Hisoka regarded him for a moment and then thoughtfully folded his hands before him. "Good point," he agreed. "What am I looking for, indeed?" He smiled, his eyes holding a glint of maliciousness. He pointed a long finger at Ryo. "Tell me what you seek, and maybe I'll tell you what I want."      Ryo stuffed his hands into the pockets of his slacks and tightened them into fists. _So, you want to play games, eh? Two can do that!_ "Oh, I don't know. My life is fairly simple. I look for friendship in people. I look for happiness in what I do. Succession in some goal. Maybe I even look for love. What area do you want me to elaborate in?"      Hisoka smiled, but Ryo noticed the tightening of skin around his mouth. "You try my patience."      "How?"      "You waste my time."      "Hey! Woe! Wait just a minute here!" Ryo spread his hands wide in defense. "I'm not the one who wants to know about my personal life."      "True. True."      "So what about you? Who are you and why do you want what I look for?"      Hisoka shook his head. His black hair shimmered as it gracefully fluttered around his face. "Be it none of what you know," he said almost gently. "Suffice to say, you should stop looking for what you desperately seek. I don't want to have to take care of you."      "Is that so? Well, I can take care of myself!" What exactly am I desperately seeking that I'm supposed to stop at?      "Hmmm." Hisoka turned slowly and his eyes swept up and down Ryo's figure before finally looking away. "We are all weak in many areas." He whirled suddenly with his palm open towards Ryo. Light flared in it and struck him full in the face. Ryo stumbled backwards, blinded. Mocking laughter filled his mind and he dimly heard the dull flapping of wings.      Ryo froze and fluttered his eyelashes in an attempt to regain his vision. He fell to one knee, steadying himself with a fist even as one was raised upward for a quick strike. He listened closely for Hisoka's approach. Something stepped on dry leaves. He turned his head towards the sound. A soft muzzle nuzzled against his cheek, and then a rough tongue swept across his face. If Byakuen could act so tender at such a moment, then the moment was safe.      "Umph! Hey! Byakuen! Where were you when I needed you?" Ryo entangled his hands into the fur. "Do you know what just happened?" he wondered. Byakuen growled in reply, then licked Ryo's face again. Color slowly flooded back to Ryo's vision, filled with neon spots. Ryo blinked, and looked quickly around.      "Weird," he said. "That guy just pops out of nowhere after you run off after that raven. He's got feathers on his shoulders and black hair. Feathers? What does he think he is? A bird? . . ." Ryo stopped in mid-track just as he was about to move through the forest for the clearing around the cabin. "Byakuen," he began slowly; the tiger looked up at him, "I think I hit the nail right on the head. Come on!" He dashed recklessly through the forest to the cabin, yanked the door opened, and ran directly into Seiji who was trying to exit the cabin at the same time.      They crashed heavily into each other and fell to the floor.      "Seiji! There's a raven that turns into a man out there!" Ryo exclaimed as he pointed to the forest. Seiji gave him a dead-pan look. "No really, I mean it! Byakuen was there, right?' Ryo turned to look at his tiger. Seiji reached over from where he was sitting and patted Ryo gently on the shoulder.      "Tell you what," he began, "why don't you explain this to me while I prepare us some tea?"   
  
  


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	6. Chapter Six

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Six

     "So Byakuen just disappeared, you had no idea where he went, and this man appeared out of nowhere. With feathers on his shoulders?" Seiji stirred his tea as he watched his friend heap lots of sugar into his. "Better stop that," he teased, "you're beginning to turn into Shuu."      Ryo glared at him, then took a sip in defiance. His lips curled from the sweetness. "Look, I know it seems unreasonable, but considering how our lives have turned out, it really can't be that bad. Can it? Besides that, the feathers were glossy black, and now that I think of it, his eyes were red."      Seiji frowned as he remembered the red eyes of the raven. "If he can turn into a raven, then he might have the power to cross the boundaries of the living and dead worlds."      "Hmmm?"      "Just thinking to myself. So after he blinded you, he disappeared. Do you have any idea as to what he was looking for?"      "I have my suspicions that it was the daughter. It's got to be! What else could he warn me away from?" Ryo glanced down at Byakuen, who satat his feet by the table and watched him closely. "I know he has some powers. He must have done something to Byakuen because Byakuen just disappeared. Too bad you can't talk," he said to his tiger, "otherwise we might be able to find out what happened to you."      "I have a different theory as to what this man might be looking for," Seiji began. Ryo waited patiently for him to continue, sipping occasionally at his super-sweet tea as he did. "I found the ghost of the woman, and she said that her daughter had her family ring, and she was going to use it to bring her husband back. Now, this woman said that the reason why the ring was so important was because of a jewel in it with magical properties. It was originally the tear of a dragon-in fact, the Queen of the Black Dragons, as she stated so herself- but it hardened into a stone. Now, I don't know if this is true-"      "Why not?"      "-yes, why not? The dragon that cried it knows where it would be located, and if we can find this dragon-assuming it's true-then we should be able to pinpoint where the jewel is. When we find the jewel, we find the daughter. Now, what are we going to do once we find her?" He regarded Ryo thoughtfully.      "We have to tell her what happened to her mother."      "Good place to start. From what the ghost has told me, the last time she saw her daughter was before she died. She hasn't seen her since. But what if she does know about her mother, and left to avoid the place where the death took place? What do we do then?"      "Look, we need to find out more about that raven guy!"      "That's just it about the raven guy, Ryo. We don't know if he really is a raven; we don't know if he is really after either the girl or the jewel. We don't know what is really going on." Ryo blew out a breath of annoyance as Seiji calmly stirred his tea and continued. "He might be after the land, or he could be after something else. He might know who we are, and he might be after something we have. He could just be a magician out to pull a trick on you. We don't know what is going on."      "That's why we have to find out!" Ryo pounded the top of the table with a fist. Byakuen growled, then nudged his large head against Ryo's leg. Ryo's fist uncurled itself and fell to the top of Byakuen's ears. He scratched them. The large cat purred in contentment.      "And what happens if we do find the girl and she does know what happened to her mother?" Seiji asked. "How would she feel, having two strangers come onto her doorstep, ask personal questions, and reawaken old wounds? What would we do then?"      "What if she doesn't know?"      "I think she would have found out by now. Admittedly, there are a few things that don't match up here. I believe you when you say something is wrong. But we really need to look at this from all sides of the view."      Ryo stared at Seiji across the table, then smiled. "Damn you for studying to be a shrink," he said.      Seiji returned the smile. "That's psychiatrist," he corrected lightly. Ryo shrugged.      "Close enough." He shot a quick glance at his wristwatch. "We'll have to be going soon if you want to be on the train on time." Seiji looked down at his own watch and nodded. "We'll have enough time to finish our tea though." Ryo took a sip and regarded Seiji closely. "Okay, what do we do now?"      "Just lay low for now. Whether that one man who you claim is a raven is what you think he is or not, remains to be seen. He may come back; he may never be seen again. We don't know. As it is, we'll let the matter slide until next week. I spoke with the woman; she claims her daughter will be able to bring her back from the dead. However, that doesn't explain how or why she hasn't done so after so long. There's more to this that meets the eye. We'll need to do more research about the child if we can. There, now I'm done with my tea."   
  
  
     Ryo watched Seiji walk to the train depot, and cheerfully waved his friend goodbye as he entered the train. After standing there for a few moments, the smile fell from Ryo's face. He glanced over sideways where a pay phone was. "I refuse to let matters rest," he told himself firmly as he walked over to the pay phone. "I know there is something dreadfully wrong!"      He searched around in his pocket for yen and pulled the phone off the receiver. "And even though you are not here to help me, you also aren't here to stop me!" he continued defiantly. He slipped the coins into the slot and punched in numbers. As he listened to the phone ring on the other end, he hoped whom he was calling was home.      "Hello?" Oh good, she was!      "Eh, hi, Nasutei!"      "Oh, hello Ryo."      "Did I catch you at a bad time?"      "No, not at all. What can I do for you?"      "Well, I was calling for some information on dragons."      "Dragons?"      "Yeah. More specifically, dragon tears and the Black Dragons and anything else you might have that will be of some use."      "That would take some time to compile. Do you mind if I did that and sent it to you by mail?"      "No, go right ahead. You have my address, right?"      "Yes. And if you don't mind my asking: why do you need information on Black Dragons and such-like?"      "Well, it involves some things that had been happening around here. I'm not really sure what, but it seems to be tied in with dragons and stuff like that. That's why I need the information."      "Okay." Ryo heard distant shuffling, and the sliding of drawers. "Okay, I've taken down dragon tears and Black Dragons. Is there anything else?"      "Yeah, anything about the magical uses of dragon tears, if you can. I don't know if you can find it or anything . . ."      "I wouldn't worry about it. Grandfather has a great amount of information on mythical creatures and items, and I wouldn't doubt that he has quite a bit about dragons."      "Okay. Thanks Nasutei!"      "You're welcome Ryo. And you will be by Friday for dinner with Jun, Touma, and myself, right?"      "Yeah, because I have to take Yayoi out Thursday evening, I will be staying in a hotel for the night, swing on by to see you, and then be back here."      "Do you want to wait until Friday for the information or do you desperately need it?"      "Truthfully? I desperately need it."      "Okay. I'll send it and you should have it by Wednesday."      "Sure. Thanks again!"      "You're welcome."      "Bye!"      "Goodbye."      Ryo hung up, blowing the air out of his lungs. He was glad to have Nasutei for a friend; she was the sort of person who would do anything to help anyone. Having easy access to obscure information had its bonuses too. He jogged back to the jeep he drove and climbed in. He drove away from the train depot, not noticing the raven that watched him from a lamppost.   
  
  
     Ryo did not bother to wait until he was home to read his mail Wednesday. Sure enough, just as Nasutei promised him, there was a package of information there. As he sat in the jeep, he tore the large manila envelope open and pulled out the three pieces of thick paper. The first one was titled, "Color subgroups." He decided to read them in the order of how they were placed in the pile as he remembered Nasutei's organized ways.   
  
  
**      In the years past, there are many legends of dragons existing. The types of dragons differed from region to region, climate to culture. They were sometimes viewed as good, sometimes viewed as evil. Among the types of dragons thought to be known, there was one particular group of dragons that seemed to stand out more so than others.      This group was split into several subgroups that constituted by their colors. Each group is said to be ruled by an immortal male or female dragon of that color, and each color could be corresponded to an element. Commonly, there are the red dragons that controlled the heat or fire. An immortal male red dragon known as the king ruled them. The other groups followed the same pattern. The yellow dragons, ruled by an immortal female, controlled light. The black dragons, ruled by an immortal female, controlled non-light or darkness. The blue dragons, ruled by an immortal male, controlled air. The green dragons, ruled by an immortal female, controlled water. The white dragons, ruled by an immortal male, controlled cold or ice.      Legends have it that they were very peaceful creatures, and could not stand the thought of killing humans or inflicting unnecessary pain upon animals. They died out when they refused to fight back against humans who destroyed them, and the rulers-who were immortal-fled to the deepest regions where the climate was most suited for their element.   
  
  

**      Ryo appeared thoughtful for a moment. "So," he began, "if the black dragon queen could control shadows and she fled to the place most suitable and matching of her element, then yeah, I suppose a cave would match that. But there are so many caves! How do I know which one to look for?"      He pulled out the second piece of paper.   
  
  
**

"Dragon Tears"

     Whenever a dragon cried, it was because they were unable to do something within their power to stop the situation that placed them in the mood to cry. This manifests their power in such a way that a tiny proportion of their talents to control an element seems to seep into the tear.      Each tear, once it leaves the touch of the dragon, turns into a perfectly dewdrop shaped jewel. The colors differ depending on the emotion of the tears. It is said that these are the color of the dragon's subgroup, and an inner light of their emotion shines from within it. As an example, if the tear was cried from a rage, then flickers of red could be seen within it.      Because the dragon's power seeped into the tear, with proper methods it may be retracted and used.   
  
  

**     Ryo sighed as he stared down the papers. This was getting complex. He reread it in order to understand, and then shifted onto the third and last paper.   
  
  
**

"Sightings of each color"

    There are legends pertaining as to where the dragons went. Accordingly, the fire and the earth dragons live together mutually in an active volcano in the Hawaii region. The ice dragon and a few living offspring are said to live in the deepest parts of Antarctica. The water dragon lives beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean. The shadow dragon lives in a cave located in the Hiei Mountain range in Japan. No one knows where the air or light dragons went to, though they are suspected of leaving this world for another.      Dragons are said to be creatures of languages, being able to speak and understand all languages. They can easily blend into large crowds of people, though their eye shape and color never change. Unlike other dragons whose eyes are slit like a cat's, these dragons' eyes are round and florescent, much like that of a solid marble. Their eyes do not contract at the light, for there are no pupils or irises. People were sometimes spotted with these eyes, for these dragons may also shape-shift into any form they wish to have, though their weight essentially never changes.      People should be aware of soft-spoken individuals who prefer not to show their eyes or throw their weight around in any form. 
**  
  
  
     "Is that all?" Ryo looked over the three pieces of paper, and then sighed. "Well, considering how specific and unusual the topic I gave her, it was probably the best I could do under the circumstances." He lightly tossed the papers into the passenger seat and turned the key. The jeep roared to life. "Now, since Seiji isn't here to stop me, I will also go looking for that dragon." He shifted and backed out of the parking lot. As he drove down the dirt road, a brief thought occurred to him. "But where do I start?"   
  
  


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	7. Chapter Seven

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Seven

     "Okay, let's see if this will actually work." Ryo sat cross-legged in his living room floor. He stared at the chalk in his hand for a moment, and then drew a crooked crucifix before him. He scratched his head and then lit a nearby candle. Byakuen padded up to him and sat down, staring with interest at the crucifix.      "Look," Ryo began, explaining the situation to Byakuen, "Grandmother once told me that if I ever needed to find anything, I should ask Saint Francis, the patron saint of lost things."      Byakuen regarded with him an odd look, and then looked at the crucifix. Ryo shrugged sheepishly.      "Look, I know I'm not a Catholic like my grandmother, but she said it always worked, and this is a good start. Remember, we can't let any loose ends go. I remember once when Grandmother was visiting us and I got lost in the woods. Grandmother found me almost straightway, claiming that Saint Francis led her to me. Now, if this is true, then we definitely need some help. But I really don't know how to go about this. She said I had to address him formally and end my address with an 'amen.' She also said that having a picture of a stature helped focus the mind so you could picture the person you are addressing, but I don't exactly have an icon of Saint Francis. Besides, Grandmother also said that Saint Francis had crucifix wounds like that Jesus fellow." Byakuen snorted. "Well, I'm trying here! It's not as if you are helping me!"      Byakuen stood up and walked over to the door. He waited beside it and glanced over his haunches at Ryo.      "Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming." Ryo stood up and padded barefooted over to the door. He opened it and Byakuen took a step forward. He glanced at Ryo, wrapped his tail around his leg, and pulled him after.      "What? Hey!" Ryo struggled to keep his balance. His tiger stopped and released him. "Thanks. Now, what is it you want to show me?" Byakuen walked off into the forest. Ryo quickly pulled his shoes on, closed the cabin door and hurried after him.   
  
  
     "Okay, this better be worth it," Ryo warned Byakuen after two hours of walking. By now, they were very high up in the mountains and when Ryo looked over his shoulder, he could see the countryside below between the leafed trees. Sometimes the sight was breathtaking as it overlay the countryside in a wave of green, other times, it just seemed mottled and ugly.      Ryo pulled himself up over the steep ledge and continued after his waiting tiger. "Look, how much longer until we reach our destination?" he asked. Byakuen shrugged and looked upward to an overhang in the side of a cliff. Ryo stared up at it, and then pointed. "Is that where I am going?" he asked. Byakuen nodded. "Are you kidding? Climbing that would kill me!"      Byakuen rolled his eyes before butting Ryo in the side with his head. "Oh." Ryo reached into his pocket and pulled out a red marble-like object. "Yeah, I suppose I could suit up if I have to. But do I have to go all the way up there?" He pointed at it again. Byakuen regarded him closely.      _What?_ his eyes seemed to say._ A big bad trooper like you is scared?_      "I am not!" Ryo sulked a couple of moments as Byakuen turned away and began to make his way up to the foot of the cliff. Ryo sighed. It was useless arguing with a cat; he should have learned that already.   
  
  
     Seiji hugged his books closely to his chest as he hurried his way through the crowded university halls. Someone bumped him roughly in the back and jarred his grip. Seiji barely managed to gain control of his books before they fell to the floor. He hated the switch between the morning classes and the afternoon classes. It was always harder to get through the crunch of milling students.      Seiji finally broke free of the crowd and jumped to the side of the stream. He waited for an opening before he stepped back into the rushing crowd of bodies and was effortlessly swept out the door without being crushed. He quickly jumped to the side again and began to make his way across the parking lot. It was literally a sea of cars. Thanking Kami for his ability to ride the bus back and forth from his home. Seiji took the time out to pull his book bag off his back and dump his books into it. He looped one strap over a shoulder and glanced quickly around. Seiji took a deep breath. He dashed through the parking lot, missing the speeding lunatics trying to run him over      "This place gets more dangerous every day," Seiji thought to himself, tensing at the side of a busy road that parted through parts of the parking lot. He was waiting for a chance to dash across it. Wait for it wait for it wait for it wait for it wait fo-ACH!!!      The car in front squealed in protest as the driver stomped on her breaks. She could not stop in time to avoid hitting Seiji but, thankfully, Seiji was none worse for wear as he bounced lightly off of the bumper of the barely-moving car. He quickly jumped out of the way as the driver stuck her head through the window and began to insult his genes. Seiji ignored her as he stepped out of the way of the traffic and his sharp lavender eyes surveyed his surroundings for the person who had pushed him.      He did not see anything except for a raven flying overhead. Seiji's hand tightened into a fist as he heard an echo of words speaking, "_Beware of those who are raven-shadowed. They carry the curse of a thousand deaths upon their hands._"   
  
  
     "Okay, I'm here now! I made it!" Ryo gasped for breath as he pulled himself into the cave that was hidden from below by the overhang's shadow. His red and white body armor clinked loudly against the rocks as he collapsed onto the floor. "I'm so exhausted!" He wiped at the sweat beading his forehead. "I have to start working out more, I'm getting far too out of shape." He stood up on shaking legs. On the other hand, climbing the rocky face of the cliff had not been easy after a two-hour hike.      Ryo stared into the murky blackness. "Just how am I supposed to see?" he wondered softly. He glanced downward. He had two options. The first was to hope he didn't accidentally kill himself as he walked blindly into the cave. His second one was to climb down the cliff, grab some sticks for torches, and then climb up again. It didn't leave much for a decision.      "Let's hope this works," Ryo thought to himself as he began to make his way through the cave. He tripped over a fissure and fell to his knees. He stood up slowly and cocked his head to the side. He glanced behind and noted that the sun was beginning to set. He turned away and continued down the twisting tunnel. Light soon disappeared. In order to tell where he was going, Ryo hugged the walls, pausing every now and then to listen closely to his surroundings.      "I really do need to learn how to communicate with Byakuen better," Ryo told himself as he remembered how he left the tiger at the cliff base. He took a step forward into the inky blackness and stopped, listening closely to the sound that drifted over his ears.     _ faap . . . faap . . . faap . . . faap . . ._      "Uh oh."      Ryo ducked suddenly as a raven screamed past his head. There was a flash of bright light that nearly blinded Ryo's eyes, and a familiar face stood in the narrow tunnel, dim light shining from his upraised fingertips.      "I warned you to stop looking," Hisoka spoke softly in direct contrast to the harsh tone; his words echoed through the tunnel.      "No you didn't." Ryo smiled and shook his head. The other man's eyebrow quirked upward in a silent question. "You commanded me not to look. There is a difference. I think it is time I mentioned that I do not take well to orders."      Hisoka shrugged. The feathers that lined his shoulders rustled with his fluid movements. "The meanings of my words still hold the same. You were to stop looking."      "Hey, can't a person do a bit of exploring without people poking their noses into their business?"      "Other people wouldn't have minded if your exploring didn't dig up things meant to stay dead."      Ryo froze . . . . _things meant to stay dead._ . . "Why do you say that?" he asked as he moved towards the center of the tunnel for better maneuvering. The man blocked his way to the inner parts of the tunnel, so he couldn't make a headlong dash down the length with a wild hope of reaching the end before being stopped. The tunnel was far too narrow and low for him to fight freely in it. On the other hand, it would be a disadvantage for Hisoka too. "What are you trying to keep me from finding out?"      "Does it matter?" Hisoka curled the one hand that wasn't glowing into a fist. He held it slightly outward to Ryo. "You know too much already."      "Look, if you just tell me what I'm not supposed to look for, then I probably will have my questions answered, and I won't be butting into anyone's business."      Hisoka turned his face from Ryo as shame flew across the fine features. "I dare not," he replied softly.      "Then let me pass through."      "I dare not do that either."      "Then I'll make you."      Hisoka gave Ryo a look of surprise, then his eyes swept over the armor. "You'll make me? I doubt that very much. I already know who you are and I know your weakness. I will exploit it if I have to."      "Humph." Ryo regarded the space between them, and then launched an attack, flying forward with a fist outward towards the man. Hisoka snorted and then slid around the attack. His black robes and hair fluttered delicately with his movements. The glowing hand fell downward through the air and the light disappeared immediately. The tunnel plunged into darkness.      Ryo whirled around to face Hisoka but felt something hit the back of his armor. It screeched sharply and slid around his waist. His hand slapped downward at it as he jumped back, but the snaking feeling continued until it had squirmed upward and wrapped itself around his unprotected neck. It tightened.      Ryo's hands flew upward to grab at the thing, but it expanded and twisted itself outward. It roped around his hands and pulled them against his throat. Something gleamed and Hisoka appeared behind him with his hands in the air, a silver cord running through his fingers. His red eyes glinted oddly in the light that seemed to shine from the silver buckle at the collar of his cloak.      "Everyone has a weakness, boy, you just opened another one up for me to exploit," he said. Ryo struggled at his bonds.      "I know how to use it to my advantage though!" Ryo grasped, struggling to widen his hands and slip his head free. He kicked backwards and felt his heel connect with something solid.      The light and the thing around his throat disappeared. Ryo ducked beneath the cord and whirled around to face Hisoka. Something solid slammed into the side of his face. He blindly lashed out. He felt something breeze easily across his armored hand and another thing smashed hard against his unprotected neck. Ryo's elbow swung backwards and he felt it strike. The blow rang solidly through the cave along with a grunt of pain. A quick twist, and Ryo's arm jerked away.      He heard a soft shuffle and then a footfall. Light flared again at the fingertips of Hisoka as he stood before Ryo. He held his side as he gave Ryo a look of malevolence. "That hurt," he commented casually as his chest rose and fell with ragged breaths. He winced at each one.      "I would say you had it coming," Ryo replied in the same tone of voice. Hisoka drew a hand over his mouth as a trickle of blood ran down it. Ryo frowned. He hadn't hit the man there, had he?      "Bit my tongue," Hisoka explained when he saw the expression.      "Oh." Ryo watched him closely and then smiled. "This is an unusual fight. It's almost as if we're not very serious."      Hisoka froze in what he was doing. He regarded Ryo closely. "As if this is a game?" he asked softly. Ryo appeared thoughtful, then shrugged before nodding in agreement. Hisoka smiled. "All of life is a game," he said softly as he straightened up. His ribcage and spine popped loudly. "But some games have deadly rules and even deadlier outcomes."      "Would you mind telling me what I want to know now?" Ryo inquired. Hisoka glanced sideways at him before smiling sadistically.      "Sorry; that is not a possibility." The light went out once more and something flared in the darkness. Ryo ran toward it to attack and solidly crashed into the wall. The sound of metal hitting against stone rang loudly in the dark tunnel as bolts of pain arched through his body. He stumbled backwards. A mocking laughter echoed through the tunnel and something struck Ryo sharply across the cheek. It stung and blood ran down his face. Immediately, Ryo knew he had just been cut by something sharp.      Ryo wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and listened closely, his eyes shifting side to side. He dodged blindly to the left side as something whooshed through the air and raked the side of the cave. Sparks glowed bright in the darkness before going out. Ryo raised a hand and felt something strike his arm. He punched blow it and connected with a stomach.      "Ach!" Hisoka stumbled away, his breath coming in harsh breaths as a raven cried out in the cave. The sound echoed loudly in the thick silence. Ryo's breath matched Hisoka's as heat rolled off his armor in waves. Something lashed out once more and Ryo ducked to the side. He felt something scrape against his cut cheek. He grabbed it-it was a hand-and flung it backwards into the wall. Silver glinted in the dark and wrapped itself around Ryo's neck. Ryo grasped the cord with one and tried to pry it loose around his neck with the other.      A raven screamed somewhere in the cave again, the sound multiplied by echoes a thousand times over, and something harsh smashed into Ryo's armored stomach. Ryo kicked upward, missing whatever it was completely. The line that was lashed around his throat tightened and another part of it wrapped around his ankle.      At loss for balance, Ryo fell roughly to the ground. Mocking laughter began to ring through the tunnel again, overlaid by the high-pitched sound of a raven's cry. Ryo struggled against this bindings. Footsteps were heard, and Ryo felt himself being drug over the floor.      "What are you doing?" Ryo growled, the blood in his ears roaring loudly.      The laughing stopped, but not the raven's cries. "I'm disposing of a nuisance," Hisoka replied coldly. Ryo struggled more against his bonds. The heat inside of his armor built. The more Ryo struggled against his bonds, the tighter they became. When breathing became extremely difficult to do with the cord around his neck, he stopped struggling. Still he was pulled through the cave, until he could see faint light pooling beside a corner.      His eyes quickly adjusted themselves to the disappearing sunlight as Hisoka tugged him over to the entrance of the tunnel. He glanced down the cliff, and then at Ryo. He shrugged. "Emergency breeds necessity. Please understand, I dare not allow you to come any closer to solving your mystery than what you are already at. Too much rides upon this matter."      "What . . . Are you . . . Trying to . . . Tell me?" Ryo asked beyond the tight grip around his throat.      "Goodbye," Hisoka replied, nudging Ryo off the cliff with his foot.      "Aaaaaaaah!"      Hisoka turned away, listening to the yell. It stopped as soon as Ryo hit the ground. "Sorry," he added under his breath as a raven cried and flew up to him. He disappeared with the last rays of sunlight.   
  
  
Here's a bit of Japanese history trivia for you: Ryo's grandmother would have been born before World War Two. Now, before World War Two, about 43% of Japan was Catholic. Therefore, Ryo would have been in a very strong position of his grandmother being Catholic. There is a reason for this; Ryo gets mocked for it later on in the story. ^_^  
  
  
  


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	8. Chapter Eight

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Eight

     Seiji was walking to his home when he spotted a small girl crying beside the gateway of his family's dojo yard. He knelt beside her as she stopped crying and looked up at him. "Is something the matter?" he inquired.      The small girl looked at Seiji, her mouth opening and closing, and the starburst-like scar on her cheek jerked once before she turned and ran away from him, seemingly in terror. Yayoi descended out of the house immediately afterwards and down upon Seiji.      "What did you do?" she demanded as she grabbed him by an ear and twisted it.      "Nothing!" Seiji gritted his teeth against the pain. Yayoi released him and looked worriedly down the street after the disappearing child. Seiji rubbed his eye in a sore manner with a glare at his older sister's back. She turned back to him and the glare disappeared promptly. "What are you doing back from the hospital so soon?" he asked.      "I was offered a beautiful job and I accepted it. No more working in dingy hospitals for me!" She cheerfully pranced on the spot.      "What kind of job offer was it?" Seiji asked, hoping it was in Germany or somewhere as far away.      "A nice doctor asked me into a joint clinical with him."      "Oh?"      "Yes, and the clinic is only two blocks from here!"      "Oh." The word sounded more like _damn_. Seiji watched her walk back into the house, disappointed. As he turned to follow after her, a raven flew over him, and a little girl's sobs drifted over his sharp hearing.   
  
  
     Ryo groaned as he felt a rough tongue lap at his forehead. "Ugh." He opened his eyes to peer into Byakuen's brown eyes. "No. Go away!" he mumbled as he closed his eyes. Byakuen nudged him and Ryo stiffened as the movement sent jolts of pain through his bruised body.      "I feel like I fell of a cliff!" he groaned, trying to push his tiger away. Byakuen nudged him again and Ryo opened his eyes to see twinkling stars staring down at him. He sat up and felt the soft ground beneath his armored hand squish. "I did fall off a cliff," he remembered. "Damn! That hurts!" He began to stand up, felt a wave of dizziness sweep through his mind, and then collapsed on the ground. His armor clinked against a few jutting rocks. "I don't want to move!" he whimpered, dropping his head to rest against one knee. Byakuen nudged him and looked upward.      "I'm going back to the cabin!" Ryo groaned as he tried to stand up again. He succeeded. He tittered back and forth on his feet for a few moments and was glad he had been wearing his armor when he was pushed off the cliff. Byakuen nudged him again and looked upward. "No, I am not climbing that cliff!"      Ryo gingerly began to make his way down the side of the mountain. Byakuen growled and grabbed Ryo's leg with his teeth. They scraped against the metal. "Hey! Let go! Byakuen!" The tiger growled again and tugged Ryo towards the cliff. "No! Stop! I'm sore, I'm tired, and there is no way I am going to try and climb that cliff during the night!"      Byakuen released Ryo and sat down, regarding his human closely. Ryo bent close to shake a finger at him. "Look, I'm tired, I hurt all over, it's dark, and I am not going to climb up that cliff face!" Byakuen growled again. Ryo sighed after a long moment of staring. "Okay, I'll do it. This time, I'll be sure to bring some sticks along to make torches with. But I'm warning you: If I get pushed off that damn cliff again, I'm not going to climb it after that. You understand?"      Byakuen growled and nodded.      "Good. At least we can do this."   
  
  
     Ryo wheezed and puffed heavily as he finally made it to the cave. He pulled himself over the ledge as his armor clanked loudly from striking against the rocks. He spit the string out of his mouth. He had tried to tie one end of one shoestring with his wrist, but the heat that radiated from his armor had caused it to catch on fire. He was forced to carry the shoelace in his mouth; at least the wood he had chosen wasn't heavy. Ryo gasped for breath for a few moments, and then stood up. He picked the torch up and held it tightly.      The heat from his grip ignited the stick. Ryo transferred it to the other hand. There, he was left with the dilemma of how he was going to be able to hold it without it lighting up in his other hand. "Double damn it!"   
  
  
     Seiji stared out his bedroom window at the crescent moon. It seemed very plain, even with the small sprinkles of the few stars that could be seen, lined up as they were over the city with its bright neon lights. Something was going to happen; he could feel it. It was just waiting for a chance to go boom. He sighed and climbed into bed. Oh well, Ryo had to be faring better than him . . . Right?   
  
  
     Ryo finished transforming out of his armor and picked up the burning torch from where he had gently laid it across the ground. He began to make his way quickly through the cave, wishing to be done with the problem before the light went out. He listened carefully for any sounds of approach. He followed the winding and twisting tunnel until he came to a spot where white scrape marks covered the wall and floor in a couple of places.      "This was where the attack came," Ryo reasoned. He froze for a moment; the only sound he could hear was the crackling flames. He waited for a few moments and wondered if Hisoka was going to show up again and then decided he wasn't. Still wary though, Ryo trudged through the tunnel. Several minutes later, the tunnel stopped at the foot of stairs.      "Who'd of thought?" Ryo wondered as he looked at them. The stairs curved downwards into the dark. They were well worn and appeared very old, being carved directly out of the mountain's stone belly. Ryo nervously peered around and finally set his foot down upon the first step, as if expecting it to crumble to dust beneath his weight.      Nothing happened. The light from his torch glinted dully off of walls as he shrugged and continued to make his way down the steps. Ryo ran his hand wonderingly over the smooth walls at his side as he descended deeper into the mountain.      He paused at the foot of the stairs, and then hopped off. The tunnel widened into an expansive cavern, the very roof of it disappearing into the darkness the torch's light could not penetrate. The sound of dripping water echoed repeatedly through the stagnant air. But one sound hung above the noise of crackling flames and dripping water.      It was the sound of something snoring.      Ryo held his light up higher in the air and moved around to notice a large lump in the middle of the room nestled in a pile of old musty furs. He took cautious steps forward until he stood beside the lump. It moved up and down in time with the snoring. As Ryo began to circle around towards what he hoped to be the front, the lump shifted, and a great ebony-colored head emerged from the pile of furs.      The head-as easily as large as half of Ryo-twisted around to face Ryo. Great green orb-like eyes rolled from him to look at the blazing torch. The dragon's cheeks bulged for a moment, and then it let out a puff of foul-smelling air. The torch's flame disappeared and the cavern plunged into darkness.      Ryo blinked in the darkness.      "Umm . . ." he began with uncertainty; his mind just now beginning to function beyond the point it was currently frozen at. "Are you the black dragon queen?"      "Shhh," a soft and cultured female's voice replied suddenly. Ryo jumped at the sound. "I have been trying to sleep ever since that racket from earlier awoke me."      Ryo shuffled guiltily in the dark. He realized that he and Hisoka must have been noisy in their fight. "I really need your help," he said after a few more moments of silence. He could hear movement as the dragon shifted in the dark. Light suddenly flared from oil lamps hung from spikes in the wall. The dim light glinted from the dragon's ebony scales as she sat upward. The robes slid from her scaled body into a pile on the cavern floor. Her long tail curled around her haunches as she regarded the Trooper closely.      She was a strong and beautiful creature, matching the description of western dragons instead of that of a dragon of the orients. Her body, long and sleek, was covered with ebony-dark scales the size of Ryo's hand, and her head was long and pointed at the snout the large and wide green-colored eyes peered down the length of it at Ryo.      "Why have you come far into the earth to ask for my help?" she asked solemnly, gazing at him with an expression that he could only pinpoint to a mother trying to humor her frightened child.      "Because you are the only per-er, creature who can help me with my problem."      She leaned close to him and sniffed, almost knocking Ryo off his feet with the strong intake of air. "You smell of fire," she said finally, "and cats." There was a long pause as she took another sniff. "And I daresay of ancient magic and fighting. Say what you will, Samurai, if you are that though I smell swords and blood on you. I shall judge whether you worthy of my help after you finished."      "Okay." Ryo took a deep breath and gathered his thoughts together, before he allowed his words to run randomly. "See, my cabin is currently being haunted by this one ghost who refuses to pass on until her husband and daughter have returned. However, her husband died in World War Two (do you even know what World War Two was? Not familiar with it? Supposedly it was the war to end all wars and we can leave it at that for the moment) and her daughter disappeared many years ago. The ghost insists though that they still live and they mean to bring her back to life. When asked how she knew this, she said the ring told her. Apparently, the main jewel of this ring is one of your dragon tears. This whole mess wouldn't have been so bad if all these ravens and this guy who I think is a raven kept popping up and trying to discourage my search." Ryo took a deep breath and waited for the dragon to say something, as she had only nodded her head thoughtfully during the entire time he spoke.      Her head twisted thoughtfully and she peered at him with both green eyes. Ryo could see his reflection within them, strained and white with a large purple bruise on one cheek, a fresh cut on the other, and red lines around his throat. "This woman-this ghost-who haunts your cabin, why else would you so desire to help her, boy?"      Ryo shrugged, feeling slightly annoyed with being called a boy. That was what Hisoka had called him too. "I guess it's because I think the whole problem needs to be straightened out."      "Elaborate if you would."      Ryo sighed and made a helpless motion with his hands. His sore muscles protested and then the rest of the body joined in with complaints. "Do you mind if I sit down?" he asked as his shoulders slumped forward wearily. "I've had a really rough day."      "Oh! Of course!" The dragon suddenly became flustered as she quickly glanced around the large cavern. "My home is not too suitable for guests though . . ."      "That's all right. I can sit on the floor."      "Do not be silly! That shan't do at all!" The tip of the dragon's tail shot forward just as Ryo lowered his body to the floor and it curled around him, boosting his body from the harsh ground and contouring itself around his lanky form. "I must apologize for the manner of my home for I never expected to be visited. And do pardon my manners; many years have passed since last I spoke with a human. I would also offer you food and drink, but I do not usually keep such substances around as I need them not."      "Oh, that's okay." Ryo felt his body relax and wondered if the dragon was up to something. Would she eat him? He didn't want to be eaten; it didn't sound like a pleasant death. But didn't she just say she didn't need the substance of food or drink? "I understand the whole matter."      "Thank you. Now, please continue."      "Well, I wanted to find out more about this ghost; I mean, they don't linger around unless they have some sort of unfinished business, right?" The dragon shrugged.      "Not usually," she said. "You must remember that there always have been and always shall be exceptions to everything you find."      "Anyway, I did some research." Ryo felt the same old surge of anger he always felt when he thought about the woman's fate.      "Calm yourself," the dragon said as she rubbed Ryo's back with the very tip of her tail. "I feel your emotions blazing out of control." Ryo took several breaths. He knitted his fingers together to stop the trembling in his hands.      "After her husband was killed in the war, she refused to see anyone or visit anywhere, because she was waiting for her husband to return. The daughter went regularly to the village for the mail and supplies. After the daughter didn't show up after while, the villagers went up to the cabin to see what happened. They found the body of the woman-she had been brutally raped and killed." Ryo paused to calm himself again as his anger began to flare out of control again. The gentle look on the dragon's face did not change, nor did she pause in her rubbing. "The daughter was missing; no one knew where she went. According to what else I've found out, they never found the people who did it, and the daughter was never seen again. The ghost told my friend that her daughter had run off with the ring to find her father, and she said that neither were dead."      "Tell me about these ravens."      "This one guy keeps popping up everywhere, always accompanied by a raven. He's got feathers on his shoulders and around his waist. He wears a black cloak and has got this silver pin thingy holding the cloak ends that glow. His name is Hisoka, and he said he can't let me find out anything or reach you because he dares not to."      "How odd." The dragon, her tail shifting slightly but not enough to move Ryo, slid easily from her sitting-up position. Her body curled around and she rested her head beside Ryo. "Were you and this man fighting earlier in my tunnel?" she asked softly as her eyes closed.      Ryo blushed. "Sorry about that," he muttered.      "All is forgiven," the dragon replied graciously without opening her eyes. "Do you realize the significance of raven symbolism?" she asked suddenly.      "Um . . . No?"      "I believed as much. Ravens may carry the souls of the dead if dead are far from their home or need to move in order to complete a mission. They are attracted to the dead, after all." She opened her eyes then. The one Ryo could see rolled and looked at him.      "So Hisoka is dead?"      "Was he affected by your blows? Assuming you managed to hit him during your squabble, that is." The gentle look on the dragon's face did not show she was only patronizing him and was making an insult towards his fighting skills.      "Yes. On both accounts." The dragon held her head up high and appeared thoughtful.      "Then perhaps the matters go deeper than just a soul carried by a raven. Odd how this ghost of yours swears by my Tear."      "So can you help me?"      "I'm afraid not."      "Oh." Ryo's face fell.      "I would prefer very much not to leave my cave for the outside world, though there are other factors that are involved." She sighed. "However, I cannot overlook the fact that you came directly to me for help; granted that it must not have been an easy task."      Ryo winced as he remembered falling off the cliff. "Yeah," he agreed.      "For that you have earned something. Take this." Something rolled across the floor from the depths of the shadows and thumped against Ryo's shoe. He looked down at it. It was a simple jewel sparkling in the light, black in color but shining with a forest-green hue. He bent and picked it up. "This is the sister Tear to the one of the woman's ring. It shall guide you to where ever the other is."      Ryo was about to ask the dragon how did she know if it were the sister Tear, but decided against it. This dragon was as old as time if the legends were true (and why not? Everything else was!); she probably did not appreciate young men like he who knew absolutely nothing to question her judgment. "Thanks," he said solemnly.      "Take special care to disallow the jewel from falling into the wrong hands."      Ryo looked up at her, not wanting to stand up. His body was happy to stay where it was. "Why do you trust me if it is so special?"      "I trust my sense of smell," the dragon replied airily. "You carry upon yourself the smell of virtue and good deeds. Sleep now, for you are safe with me."      "But I have to be going!" Ryo did not move from his comfortable "seat".      "The ravens can only carry souls during the day and in the twilight. They dare not move at night, for creatures that move abroad during the dark hours feast upon stray souls. None shall harm you. Sleep now."      With those words, Ryo slumped back against the tail and was swept away into a sublime darkness.   
  
  


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	9. Chapter Nine

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Nine

     _Slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp slurp . . ._      "Bleah." Ryo pushed Byakuen away from his face without sitting up or opening his eyes. His body was still stiff and sore from the fall of the cliff yesterday and it protested at the movement. "Go 'way an' lemme sleep." Tiger breath was never its freshest during the morning. He rolled over and felt around for his blanket. He felt cold ground beneath his hands. He lifted his head and looked over his shoulder to see if he had rolled out of his bed again and was sleeping on the floor cuddled up against his tiger. He was snuggled up tightly against a soft ebony-scaled tail. There was a dim light filling the cavern from a few lightly lit oil lamps.      "Hello," a soft cultured voice greeted him. "And how be you this bright morn?"      Ryo stiffly moved his head to peer at the chirpy black dragon. "Sore yer majesty," he slurred as he leaned back against the tail and snuggled closer to it. "Fell off the damn cliff yesterday." The very end of the tail began to gently rub his back. He hmmmed in satisfaction and leaned back against it.      "Please, formality is far out of place in this dank and musty old cave. My name is Morhon."      "Moron?"      The dragon growled under her breath. Ryo had the sudden feeling that she was very self-conscience about how her name was pronounced. "Morhon. There is a distinct H there that must be pronounced."      "Eh, sorry."      "You're forgiven."      Ryo sat upright suddenly, and then collapsed backward in pain. "What the heck are you doing here?" he demanded loudly as Byakuen sought to wash his face again. "Neh! Stop!"      Byakuen growled and glanced upward at the great queen of the black dragons. "He says he came through the skylight," Morhon said.      "Skylight?"      "Yes, the backdoor of this cave, sort to speak. It would have been much easier for you to enter through that instead of climbing the face of the cliff."      "Is that so?" Ryo glared at Byakuen. "I'll have to remember that in the future."      "If you so wish to return. I would not mind the company. It has only been myself and Tadashi for the past century."      "Tadashi?"      "An orphan I took in. Many years ago, he too took it upon himself to climb the same cliff you did and found me." Morhon drew her claws along the floor. "Many years ago," she added almost thoughtfully. "Some years before the Meiji War, I believe it was called. I know for he later died in it."      Ryo's eyes snapped open. "That was more than a hundred years ago!"      "Yes, I did say that, did I not? But time has no meaning for an immortal beast such as myself. Or a ghost such as he."      "Ghost?"      Another voice spoke then, a light tenor male voice. "Yes." A shimmering light appeared in the dim darkness and a transparent old-fashioned dressed young man stood there. He wore a red bandanna that fell over his shoulders but could not keep the long dark locks of hair from hiding his right eye. His solemn green eyes reminded Ryo of Seiji. He smiled down at Ryo, and then glanced at Morhon. "Took in another child, milady?" he asked. He glanced back at Ryo. "Careful. She has a maternal streak the size of Asia."      Morhon sniffed with wounded dignity. "It has never given you cause for complaint," she replied.      "No, of course not." Tadashi bowed his head in apology even as he continued to smile. "Morhon took me in and was always there for me throughout my life. When she is your friend, she is so for all of eternity."      Ryo glanced between the dragon and the ghost. His week had gone downhill from the moment he asked Seiji for help with communicating with the other ghost. At the rate his life was going, being wrapped protectively by a dragon's tail while the owner of it bantered good-natured with a ghost she adopted hardly seemed strange.      However, the question needed to be asked, because Ryo always wanted to know where he stood with his friends. "And if you are an enemy?"      Morhon growled. "You wouldn't be alive to worry," she replied.      Ryo tried to pull himself free of her grip. The tail slipped free from his body. Ryo stumbled to his feet. "Ugh! I don't want to move!"      "If it weren't for your armor, you'd be more than just hurting," Tadashi replied.      "Armor?" Morhon twisted her head over to Ryo and took another deep sniff, blowing his hair and clothes almost off his body. "That would explain the scent of metal upon your person."      "Not just any armor," Tadashi added quickly, "but the rekka armor."      "Ah!"      Ryo glanced up at them. "What is that supposed to mean?" he demanded. Morhon ignored him and twisted her head to look at Byakuen.      "No greetings for an old friend?" she asked him. Byakuen growled and then shook his head. He glanced over at Ryo, and then at Morhon. "Yes, I realize he must go." Morhon half-sat upward. "Tadashi?"      "Yes milady?"      "Please lead Ryo back to his cabin. He is due there soon." She bent low and licked Ryo's body with her long forked tongue. The saliva soaked through his clothes and seeped against his skin, easing aches, pains, and screaming muscles. "Heed to my words and take a care for the Tear I have entrusted upon you."      "I will," he replied solemnly. The dragon queen dipped her head and gave Ryo a sloppy kiss on top of his hair before curling up into a tight ball. Ryo looked at her for several seconds, and then followed after the quickly disappearing Tadashi. The ghost drifted across the floor, his feet a few inches above the floor. Ryo could hear Byakuen's soft padding behind him. Tadashi drifted up to a small tunnel that was easily blended into its surroundings.      "This will take you to the surface of the mountain," he began as he folded his body into a sitting position, "Good luck in succeeding in what you seek to finish, for you had to have had a special reason for visiting the Queen." He bowed his head and then flickered away. Ryo stared at the empty space before him. He heard the soft breathing of the dragon. Byakuen nudged his head against his hand. It came up and swept over the tiger's ears. Ryo cast the dragon one last glance, and then stumbled his way up the small tunnel.   
  
  
_      "Don't make me! Please don't make me! I don't want to hurt him!"      "If you want your mother back, you shall and you will!"      "But I can't! What will Mother say?"      "Your mother won't be able to say anything because she won't come back! Kill them!"      "No!"      "Yes."      "No! No no no!"      Slap.      "Waaaahhh!"
_   
  
     Seiji shot upward in bed. He clenched at his sheets and sweat ran off his body in trickles, though he was freezing cold. He wiped a shaking hand across his forehead and forced his breath from being hitched and rapid to smooth and deep. Voices. He had only heard a deep male voice and a low female voice. Under the voices there ran heavy currents of anger and fear. In the background, ravens screamed as a deep sound cross between a throb and a thrum filled the dark void, watchful and knowing.     ** Beware those who are raven-shadowed. They bear the curse of a thousand deaths.** _ "Kill them!"_      Seiji heard the words echo through his mind over and over. "Them?" he asked hoarsely as he tugged thoughtfully at his tangle hair. "Who are them? Is it myself and Ryo?" He threw the blankets away and stumbled over to his bedroom window where he could see the sun rising. Seiji rubbed his forehead once more, and then jumped as something pounded on his door.      "SEIJI!" Uh oh. He just had to wake up Yayoi. The knocking stopped after a moment. "Are you okay?" his sister's concerned voice asked.      "I'm fine. Just a nightmare."      "Ooooh! Poor baby-Seiji-chan had a nightmare?" Her concern certainly hadn't lasted too long.      Seiji gritted his teeth and mentally pleaded for his sister to go back to bed. She was not the person he needed to talk to at the moment. Feeling her mockery only made him uncomfortable and resentful.      "Does he wanna a dwink of warm milk?"     _ Shut up go away shut up go away shut up go away shut up go away . . ._      "Well, if you are going to be ungrateful about my help, then so be it!" Seiji heard his sister's angry footsteps march away. He sighed in relief, and then crawled back into bed. He gathered the blankets together around his body and shivered as the warmth began to creep back into his limbs.   
  
  
     "Seiji?" Seiji looked up from where he was drinking a soothing cup of green tea while he read the newspaper. His grandfather entered the kitchen. "I've got a new student signed up today. Would you mind running her through the basic since you don't have college classes?"      "Of course." Seiji nodded before he gulped down the rest of the tea and then folded the newspaper. It was an unusual request; his grandfather had stopped speaking to him about teaching since he decided to go to college for a degree in psychology instead of inheriting the dojo.   
  
  
     "This is Houkima Fuu," Seiji's grandfather said as Seiji followed him to where a relatively young woman with dark hair stood in the corner of the dojo. She looked over her shoulder at them, and then turned her body to bow. A large bandage graced a cheek, which pulled slightly at the movement of the facial muscles.      "Houkima-san, my grandson, Seiji, shall lead you through the basics."      "Hai." They bowed and then he departed, leaving Seiji behind with the woman. She gave Seiji a nervous smile as she fingered the edge of her gi.      Seiji gave her what he hoped to be a comforting smile. "Before we begin, we start with fundamental exercises to loosen the muscles and relax the body. One of the things we do is practice falls. This is so we do not hurt ourselves when we hit the ground." She nodded her head in understanding and alarm bells went off in Seiji's head.   
  
  
     Ryo looked at Byakuen as they entered the cabin. It was freezing cold and inside of it, pacing lightly across the floor, was the ghost. She looked up just as Ryo and Byakuen entered, and began to hop up and down, her mouth moving rapidly. Byakuen growled and backed away from her. Ryo stared at her blankly as she stopped talking. Ghostly tears began to run down her face as she hurried over to Ryo and began to make wild gestures. Unable to do more than just stare at her as the ghost attempted to communicate with him, Ryo simply watched her face. He reached up suddenly to touch her face and watched as his hand went through her.      His heart ached, seeing her distressed like this. He wanted to help her. He withdrew his hand as an icy cold began to fill his limbs. She stopped and watched it. Ryo reached for her face. A tear fell from her eyes and landed on his finger. He stared with shock at the liquid drop as it slid down his hand. It left a shining trail behind. He glanced over at Byakuen who regarded him silently, and then he looked back at the ghost. Her hands were clenched and close to her face. Unconsciously, his hand reached into his pants pocket and gripped the Tear. The ghost stared at him with pleading eyes, and then her lips moved again.     _ Please, help me._      Ryo jumped. "What?" he demanded. He winced as he heard the harsh tone in it. He took a step forward. "What did you say?"     _ Please, help me._      "What do you need help with?"      The ghost brightened up and the tears stopped._ Can you hear me?_ She regarded Ryo for a moment, and then smiled brilliantly. _Yes, yes you can. You have a Tear and it has the power of communication._ Ryo did not ask her what she meant as her face fell again and tears welled up within her eyes. _My husband and my daughter, beware of them! They mean to kill you for you are in the way! They say you want to keep them from bringing me back but . . . _She stopped and allowed two tears to fall, one from each eye._ But I will not have blood on my baby's hands! I don't want her to forever haunted by your ghost!_      Ryo stared at her blankly before he nodded his head. "Sure," he began. "Do you know where they are?"     _ They went after your other friend! You must hurry! They mean to kill him today!_      "Friend? You mean Seiji?"     _ Yes! Yes! You must go! I cannot leave here, but you can!_      "Right!" Ryo skidded around to run out of the house and over to his jeep, but he tripped over Byakuen and slammed into the wall. "Ouch! Byakuen!" He glared at the tiger as he jumped to his feet. "Stay here. Don't go anywhere. Good boy." He patted Byakuen on the head before he hurried out to the jeep.   
  
  
     "No, if you keep bending your wrist that way, then you'll sprain it when you try to jerk your hands free." Seiji stood behind Fuu, one arm circled around her shoulders to where her extended arms were. One hand grasped her wrist as the other reshaped her fingers.      Fuu gave him a nervous smile as she fingered the edge of her gi again with her free hand. The dojo was empty for the class was over. Fuu had stayed behind to ask for a few quick tips about facing muggers and what should she do should a pervert grab her, since she was going to America in a few months and had heard many tales from her cousins about the over-familiar men there.      "Your wrist needs to be slightly bent," he continued. "But not rigidly like that. It would snap too easily." He worked the limp hand back and forth. "And don't keep it straight because it's far too easy to keep you in-erk!"      Fuu smiled nervously as she pulled the knife away from where she had slipped the point of it deep into Seiji's side. She quickly pulled away from him as he made a wild swipe at her, his movement eerily slowly and painful. His hands caught the bandage on her face and pulled it away to reveal a starburst-like scar. "I'm sorry," she said as she continued to smile even as tears shone in her eyes. "You really should have been hit by the car. A sob escaped from her small frame and she dashed from the dojo. Seiji coughed, the movement sending shocks of pain arching through his body. His eyes opened wide as he heard a raven scream and swoop down over the girl, the shadow darkening her countenance.      _Beware those who are raven-shadowed. They bear the curse of a thousand deaths._      Seiji clutched at his side as the pain began to blossom and multiply. Centered at the wound, it spread itself continuously through his upper body, throbbing higher and higher with each heartbeat. Blood poured through his fingers and black dots began to dance in his vision. He straightened up against the pain and walked with as much dignity as he could retain into the house. Blood ran steadily onto his mother's freshly scrubbed floors. "Yayoi?" he called weakly, as he leaned against the fuzzy-looking wall for support.      "Oh? What do you want no-" Yayoi's irritation disappeared the moment she walked in from the kitchen into the hall Seiji stood in and she saw the sight of her brother leaning against the wall with support as blood stained the side of his gi. "Seiji? What happened?" She hurried forward and jerked his gi open to see the jagged knife wound.      "Stabbed," Seiji covered his mouth and coughed into his hand. He stared at the blood.      "I can see that! Sit down!" Yayoi grabbed his arm and pulled him to a futon in the near-by living room. She tugged her shirt off and pressed it against his wound. Any other time, Seiji would have blushed to see his elder sister standing before him in her bra, but his head was too filled with fuzz for him to react. "Grandfather?" she yelled over her shoulder.      "Beware the raven-shadowed," Seiji whispered as a black cloud overwhelmed his senses and it was the last thing he knew.   
  
  


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	10. Chapter Ten

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Ten

     Shin stared at the sea. The water was an angry gray of that just before a storm, but the skies were clear and the wind did not stir or ruffle the top of the water. He surveyed it from the top of a boulder that was buried halfway into the surf. Around him lined other rocks, their surfaces smooth and slick. He jumped from the tall boulder onto a shorter boulder as the seawater lapped gently at its top edges. He knelt down upon one knee and dipped a hand into the water.      He felt a surge of anger flow from it. The anger shot through his arm and aimed at his heart. He jerked his hand out of it and stared over the surface to the far horizon. He stood up and sighed sadly.      "What angers you?" the gentle Trooper asked. A mild wind blew and stirred his auburn hair.      The water at his feet began to swirl in a large circle, the edges twisting while the very middle of it stayed smooth. The twisting edge gushed forward into the smooth middle suddenly, making Shin jump back and fall down in surprise. The shot upward to tower above him, and began to mold into the upper part of a woman's torso. The head emerged, with foam-like strands of hair spouting from the top of the head and eyes as white as pearls gazing at Shin. His jaw dropped open at seeing the creature.      "Child of the sea, trooper of the water," 'she' spoke, her voice as deep as a rushing wave yet as soothing as cool water on a hot day, "be not afraid. I am angry for a debt has not been paid and the time to do so is running out." She reached out, her arm stretching until the index finger touched his forehead. An electrical shock, smooth as flowing water, swiftly swept through his mind. "Go now, I wish not to harm you when my anger grows to such portions as that I lash out to those innocents who venture here. I wish to save my wrath for she who owes me. Go now."      Numbly, Shin watched as the figure's arm retracted back and she sunk majestically into the sea. The gray of the water grew slightly more bluish. He looked downward at his reflection in the water for a moment, and then skipped from rock to rock back to the beach. With one last look over his shoulder at the sea, he hurried away.   
  
  
     "The doctors said the blade was heavily laced with a very lethal poison meant to cause paralysis," Yayoi told Ryo as he sat in the waiting room. "The police are looking for who did it."      Ryo sat in a chair in the hospital waiting room holding his head. He rubbed his temples and looked up. "How is he?"      "Not so good. He hasn't managed to come out the coma the poison put him into. There's enough in his system to knock a horse off its shoes. It's amazing he's still breathing as it is."      Ryo knew it was only through the strength of Seiji's armor that his friend was still breathing. "Can I see him?"      Yayoi stared at him for a moment with pursed lips and then shrugged. "Oh why not? Sure. If the doctors ask, say you're a cousin since only family are allowed in at the moment."      "Thanks."      "Welcome."   
  
  
_      "Where am I?" Seiji glanced at his surroundings and then down at himself. He wore his body armor as he stood in a dark gray world. There was no sky and there was no ground beneath him. It was as if he was suspended in fog.      "You are in the borderline," a soft voice replied. Seiji whirled around to see a small woman of interminable age with long dark hair and exotic features. Her eyes-solid as green marbles-regarded him closely. She too was suspended in the air beside him, dressed in a black jumper with a white scarf wrapped around her throat. Her toes pointed downwards while as his feet were flat as if on solid ground.      "Where is the borderline, and who are you?"      "Who I am is of no importance to you at the moment. Many would say you are sleeping and tucked deep within the recesses of your mind, but that is not so. This is the borderline of the world where the restless exist, and the world where the dead moves on."      "What's the difference?"      "You visited the restless world not too long ago. It exists only for the purpose of those spirits who live within it. Ghosts are merely spirits without a place to go or with too much left to do. The world of the dead is where those who have died flee to their Great Reward."      "What is the significance of my being here?"      "Your spirit desires to remain as you have much to do. But your body wants to die. In an odd compromise, you winded in both places. This is highly unusual; I have never seen the like before."      A voice spoke then, filling the entire void with the sound. 
_"Hey Seiji? How are you doing?"     _ "That's Ryo." Seiji looked upward.      "The child of benevolence? Yes, indeed." Seiji glanced over at the woman.      "What do you know?"      "I know a great many things; for me to inform you of all of them would take many lifetimes. Is there a specific piece of information you wish to learn?" The answer could have been sarcastic, but the open look upon her face informed Seiji that she was serious.     
_ "Say, I'm really sorry about this happening. I know there was nothing I could do about it from happening, but there are a few things I'd like to tell you. First of all, that ghost-you remember her? You talked to her not too long ago-said that her husband and daughter were out to kill you and I. I see they already got to you. Damn it! If only I had gotten to you sooner! Or maybe if I hadn't asked you for your help . . ."     _ "Oh great," Seiji grumbled to himself. "He's going off on another one of his guilt tangents."      The woman glanced over at him. "But is that not what makes Sanada Ryo special?" she asked him. "He feels for other people far more deeper than what most realize."      "True, but he needs to realize that he can't help everything, no matter how much he wants to or tries to."     
_ "Look, I've got to find those two, and I will. I know you told me to let matters rest for a while but, heh, you know me. I found out more information about the Dragon Tears and from there, Byakuen took me up to see the Queen of Black Dragons herself. She's a really neat old gal, you'd like her."     _ Seiji gave the woman a surprised look as she quirked an eyebrow up. "Old?" she echoed, slightly offended and slightly puzzled.     
_ "Any way, she give me a Tear so I can find the other one, and where it is, I should find the person who did this to you!"   
  
  
     Ryo folded his hands over Seiji's and bowed his head as he spoke his last words. His throat worked silently as he tried to think of other words to say. He absently listened to the life monitor's beeps. Something moved beneath his hands. He glanced up to see Seiji's hand quivering. He glanced quickly over to his friend, and then moved Seiji's head. "You awake?" he asked eagerly.      "Ryo . . ." Seiji's eyes opened and he tried to sit upward, but collapsed backward. He blindly grabbed Ryo's hand. "Beware those who are raven-shadowed. They bear the curse of a thousand deaths." Seiji's body slacked and the grip he had on Ryo's hand loosened. Ryo stared at his friend for a moment, and then stood up. He brushed the limp blonde strands of hair away from the eyes almost lovingly before planting a quick kiss on Seiji's forehead. The usual tenderness of Ryo's features hardened as he swept from the room and headed for the hospital exit.      "Ryo?" Yayoi looked up from paperwork as she saw the stoic young man stride past her. She saw a glimpse of his set face and shrank back. She knew that not even she wanted to go up against this person while he was in such a black, dangerous mood.   
  
  
     Ryo stepped out onto the street and watched the people passing by them. To each person he gave them hurt, accusing glances that said, _Were you the one who hurt my friend?_ He stood on the street for a moment, stiff and rigid as people passed him. They began to make wider and wider berths around him the longer he stood there. Ryo finally took several steps forward and ran around to the parking lot where his jeep sat. He almost yanked the door off before he realized he had locked it as a precaution against thieves, something he never did in the country.      He jerked the keys out of his pocket and felt rage beginning to swell up in his body at the length of time it took him to do ridiculously unimportant things, such as unlocking the door. It pounded against his body, threatening to take his being over. It redirected itself to a desire to find who hurt Seiji and wrought such revenge upon that person. Almost frightened from the force of it, Ryo ruthlessly squashed the rage.      He jammed the keys into the lock and then yanked the door open. Climbing in, his grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles turned white. He stopped and stared at them. He bowed over the steering wheel and waited for the anger to quiet down. The rage built up and then banked itself into a small steady fire. Ryo started the jeep, then shifted the gears. He backed out onto the busy traffic. With tires squealing and people honking wildly at him, he stepped on the gas and burnt rubber to get away from the hospital.      _ Where do I go?_ he wondered as he swerved into the other lane without looking at his side mirrors.      A voice, no more than a breathless whisper, spoke deep in his heart. _To the scene of the crime._ Knowing without wondering that the scene of the crime was the spring where the woman's body had been found, he dipped a hand into his pocket. The Dragon Tear was warm against the palm of his hand. It sent sparks of calm and sorrow through his mind.   
  
  
     The jeep screeched to a halt after six hours of solid driving. Ryo climbed out of it and ran to the side of the cabin's clearing where the spring of water was. Ryo had felt slightly sick about dipping water from the main pool of water after he had learned what happened, and instead went to the upper reaches of the spring.      Now he stood before the body of water that had been a temporary grave for an innocent woman. "Come on," he whispered as he took the Dragon Tear from his pocket and fisted it. The sharp point at the end of the jewel bit into his palm without breaking the skin. A wind blew. It stirred Ryo's black hair and shook the leaves on the trees. One broke free and drifted down to touch the ruffled surface of the water.      Ryo stared down at his reflection for a moment before taking his shirt off and tossing it to the side. He slipped his sandals off, and then waded into the spring water. He turned around and stared back at the shore just as he reached the middle of the spring, the depth of it slightly over his waist. A rolling mist suddenly roared out of the surroundings forest and covered the area, obscuring shapes and sounds.      His body tensed as he watched the mist roll over him; the hair on the back of his neck stood on end at the clamminess. A thin voice began to chant.   
**      Ages past withdraw the future.      We pay the price of youth and life,      With an eternity of remembered pain.      Never to sleep, never to rest,      We are shadows of the raven-carried,      Shades trapped to shallow motives.   

**      A voice began to rise and fall in terror and screams, blocking out the repeating sound of the chant. Ryo froze as he watched a figure struggling through the mist. It twisted and took form of the woman who haunted Ryo's cabin, only she was solid and appeared very much alive. She wore a winding sheet around her naked body. It was stained a deep red in the places where her body had been slashed deeply with sharp objects. She stumbled around and peered behind herself. She gasped in deep breaths as she reached the shore of the spring. Her gray-streaked dark hair floated around her face, her eyes stark with terror.      A black shadow rose above the fog and shot through the air. It struck the woman directly in the chest. She screamed and stiffened. Silently, she toppled backward into the spring water. An arm exploded out of the water and wrapped itself around her waist before pulling her under into the blue depths.      A young voice screamed. "Mama! MAMA!" A raven screamed in the distance, and then the young voice rose shrilly to match it before fading away as an echo.      Everything went silent. The water's surface went as still as a pane of glass. Trees surrounding the spring were little more than black blots; the mist pricked his skin with a clammy cold. Not a sound was heard other than the cold sweat rolling off his body and hitting the water. No wind stirred; no bird called. His skin prickled in warning as a presence drifted over him. He turned to see Hisoka on the opposite side of the spring. The man's face was twisted in misery, a single tear falling down his face. He stared at Ryo for a moment. Resentment shone deep within the depths of his beautiful eyes.      "Why?" he demanded, nearly choking on the sorrow evident in his voice. Ryo felt his heart contracted itself at the pain. "Why?" Hisoka stumbled back a step, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. "The pain . . ." Hisoka doubled over with his hand clutching his chest. Ryo quickly stumbled through the waters to help him.      Hisoka kicked at Ryo as soon as he was within reach. "Away from me!" he yelled. The trooper jumped back and felt himself sink to his ankles in the mud at the near edges of the spring. Hisoka stared at him for a moment, still clutching at his chest. "Why do you keep opening the wounds?" he demanded sadly. Ryo stared at him with puzzlement. The mist began to move and drifted around them. It wrapped thin tendrils around everything within reach. Ryo felt it stir against his damp legs. "I told you stop looking; why do you insist upon opening old wounds and bleeding them anew? I'm already in pain from knowing what happened; why must you show me?"      Ryo's eyes opened wide. His hands clenched and the sharp prick of pain where the point of the Tear dug into his mind cleared the shock away from his mind. "You're the husband who was killed in World War Two."      Hisoka gave Ryo a look of heated anger that made him almost wilt in shame. "Yes. I am he. I told you to leave these matters alone, but you stubbornly persist upon snooping."      The banked fires of Ryo's own anger flared upward. "If you had bothered to explain everything to me, I wouldn't have done this!"      "How can I explain?" Hisoka straightened upward and towered over Ryo. Shame now mixed with the sorrow and anger. "How can I tell you what happened when I hurt too much from the memory of it! You should have left!"      "And you shouldn't have hurt your wife." The coldly spoken words were like a slap on the face for Hisoka. What color present in his pale face was drained away. Ryo strode forward to face the man before him. The mud squelched as he pulled his feet free. "Your wife cries to be free, and yet all you can do is stay here. She didn't want her daughter to have blood on her hands, but still she almost tried to kill my friend. All we wanted to do was help this woman who has been trapped here for decades, and you try to stop us without an explanation. I am Ryo of the Flames and in being thus, my jin is benevolence. How can I stand aside and see this injustice of what happened to her and the innocents of her family go unpaid?"      Ryo and Hisoka stared at each other for a moment. Finally, Hisoka spoke. "I'm warning you," he said softly, "I am warning you for the last time. If you do not stop looking; if you do not stop continuing to drag our pain out, the thing that happened to your friend will happen to you."      "I don't take kindly to threats," Ryo replied darkly. "I take less kindly to people who hurt my friends."      Hisoka gave him a cool glance. "And I always mean what I say," he replied just as a raven screamed and flew through the air. Ryo ducked and hit the muddy ground with a squish as it whistled through the air where his head had been. He glanced up in time to see Hisoka's form shift and blur and finally fade into a fleeting shadow. It flew behind the quickly-disappearing raven.      Ryo climbed out of the spring just as the mist rolled backwards and revealed the world as easily as it had rolled forward and covered everything. The sun broke through the thick veil and shone down upon him. Ryo tilted his head to the warmth and wished the sun to burn up the lump that sat heavily in the pit of his stomach.   
  
  
___      Seiji drifted around the strange place he existed within, trying to make his way back into the real world where his family waited for him. Once he had managed to do it, and that once had been to try to warn Ryo. He felt as if he had broken free, but he was not sure how he did that. Beyond that, his time was spent in floating within this strange world and regarding the strange woman who kept him company at all times.      She never said anything. Rather, she floated about and watched both her surroundings and Seiji closely.      "How long do I have to wait here?" he asked finally. She drifted past him, deep in thought.      "It depends if your friend can break the bond that is holding you here."      Seiji glanced over at the woman from beneath his hair. "What bond?"      "The bond that holds you to the cutting edge of the knife. The only way to break it is to kill the person who bonded you to it; that is to say, the person who stabbed you."      Seiji felt his being drain with shock. Ryo . . . Kill? He remembered the look in the girl's eyes just after she stabbed him. Hurt had been evident within their depths; regret shone deeply and she hurt from her actions almost as much as Seiji did. "She's only a child," he said suddenly, remembering the starburst-like scar on her cheek that was an exact match to the child's who was standing outside his home.      "Appearances are deceptive. She owes a blood-debt, and thus must be paid." Seiji looked at the woman. She looked back him, her features grave.      "She's tied to the raven; that is the blood debt, isn't it?"      "That is a different debt, one that must be paid by the person who tied her to the raven. No, the debts she owes are to you and the Sea."      "Sea?"      "The time will come. Be patient."   
  
  

_      Ryo sat beneath a tree in the corner of the cabin's clearing. Byakuen growled as he jogged from the interior of the cabin over to Ryo. He fell to his side with a huff and snuggled up close to him. Ryo sighed and tugged at the long fur.      "What am I to do?" he asked Byakuen softly. "I want to help others, and I need to help Seiji, but who is right in this entire matter? What right did I have to snoop? But by the same token, Seiji was innocent and should have been left out of the mess." He closed his eyes against guilt and the pain of knowing how he was the instrument that caused Seiji's pain. "If I hadn't gotten him involved then he wouldn't have been hurt." Byakuen growled and then sat up suddenly. He licked Ryo's face with his rough tongue. Ryo allowed his pet tiger to wash his face for several moments, but pushed the large cat away when the tongue made its way into his hair.      "We need to do something. Perhaps if I consulted St. Jude . . ." He was taken back with the glare Byakuen gave him. "What? According to Grandmother, St. Jude was the patron saint of the impossible, and if I ever had an impossible situation, then I was to ask for his help. I know this doesn't help matters any better than the time with St. Francis, but really, you aren't helping matters any." He sighed and rested his head on a fist propped up with an elbow. "Maybe if I had consulted him from the beginning of this mess . . ." Byakuen began to lick Ryo's arm. Ryo allowed him to do it. "Too bad you couldn't speak," he said. "I would like to have your advice on the matter."      Byakuen paused in his licking to give Ryo a regarding look, and then resumed.      Ryo stared at the door of the cabin for a moment, and then pulled the Dragon Tear from his pocket. He looked at it fully for the first time in the sunlight. It was black with dark green highlights shining in the recesses of the crystal. The highlights seemed to pulse with an ethereal energy. Ryo looked into the crystal and saw one of his eyes reflected. He touched the smooth surface and then tucked it back into his pocket. He stood up and tugged his shirt away from his sweaty chest. The material stuck. He sighed with annoyance and strode over to the cabin.      He entered the interior and glanced around it, feeling sad. "This used to house a loving family, but it was torn apart by death. Am I intruding? Do I have a right to be here?" He touched the walls. The dead wood beneath his sensitive fingertips was smooth and clean. "Do I belong?" He looked at his surroundings and felt something warm and soft brush against his hand. Without thinking, he ran his hands through the soft fur and found a pair of ears. He scratched behind them. Byakuen began to purr.      "What do I do now?" Ryo looked down at his tiger. "I wonder if Grandmother had any saints for this predicament." Byakuen growled beneath his breath and Ryo laughed in reply. "I was wondering if you would react like that. You're getting a little too predictable, Byakuen."      The large tiger sat down with a huff and licked his chomps. He sent Ryo a scathing look.      Ryo stepped across the room and collapsed face-down on the bed. After a moment, he rolled over onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "What do I do now?" he wondered. The anger that he had used to fuel his body had dissipated at the disappearance of Hisoka. He reached into his pocket and withdrew the Tear. It flickered in the dim light, a black splash of color full of green highlights. "Tell me," he whispered to it as he ran a finger over the smooth surfaces, "tell me where I can find the daughter."      The Tear glimmered as Ryo's last word fell from his lips. Ryo sat upward in his bed and saw the color centered mainly on one side of it. He stood up and ran outside the cabin, following the direction where the light seemed to glimmer. He was behind the cabin in front of the forest where bushes grew along the edges when the light disappeared.      Ryo looked up and stared at the forest in front of him. The sun was going to set in a few moments, and he could hear something rustle through the bushes. He peered at the spot where they moved, and two dark eyes peered back at him. A head slowly popped up from the bushes, revealing the child with the starburst-like scar on her cheek. She sniffed and guiltily cast a look on the ground.      "I'm sorry," she whispered. Ryo regarded her closely as he folded his hands before himself. She looked up, her eyes bright with brimming tears. "I didn't want to hurt your friend, but Papa made me do it because he said it had to be done, and now the Sea is angry at me." She burst into sobs.      Ryo bent down upon one knee and reached out to gently grab the child's shoulders. The tears began to fall down her face and left red streaks behind. The last fleeting light glinted upon the Dragon Tear in his loose hand. "It's okay," he whispered, "tell me how I can help my friend."      "The Sea." She looked up. "You must go to the Sea and ask the Maiden for the antidote. The weapon I used to stab your friend, the poison on the blade was blessed by her and only she can contribute the antidote."      "How do I see the Maiden? How do I ask for her help?"      "Only one who can speak to the Sea can talk to the Maiden. I'm sorry, but I can't help you there. The Maiden demands a price for what I did, and I can't pay it just yet." She sighed and then threw her arms around Ryo. "Thank you," she whispered as she hugged his neck tightly, "I didn't want to hurt Mama, but Papa said I had to do it if I wanted to save her. I saw her crying for what I did, but I'm not allowed to come across the property to the cabin where she stays, and she can't leave it."      "It's okay, I'll tell your Mama that you're sorry and you're trying to change the mess."      She sniffed and pulled back from him. "I'm a bad girl," she said in a low voice. "And you will hate me."      Ryo shook his head. "No, not at all. You were only told what to do, and you're too young and little to be able to put up a good fight against your father. I do not hate you for anything you have done."      "Promise?" A light of hope appeared in her eyes.      Ryo nodded his head. She smiled up at him, and then ruthlessly kicked him in the groin. As Ryo doubled over in surprise and pain, she snatched the Dragon Tear out of his hands and ran through the bushes. After a quick moment of assessment and waiting for the pain to disappear, Ryo jumped to his feet and ran after her. They crashed through the bushes. Flocks of birds launched into the air and squawked in protest at the intrusion.      The child ran through the forest until she tripped over an exposed root her feet did not jump over, and Ryo pounced upon her. His hand scrambled for the Tear clasped tightly within her own fist. She screamed once as his hand enclosed over her own and then sunk her teeth into the tender flesh above Ryo's wrist.      Ryo growled with annoyance and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her back away from her biting hold. She screamed against and dropped the Tear. Tears streamed down her face as she clutched her hair. Ryo grabbed the Tear and then swung around to pick the child up by her waist just as she tried to scuttle out of his reach. She went limp as a rag doll and began to wail. He sighed and slipped the Tear into his pocket.      After making sure the Tear was as far down into the pocket as was possible, Ryo set the girl down on her feet and knelt before her, being sure to angle the lower part of his body out of the length of her legs and keeping his knees closer together than usual.      "I am upset with you for what you did, but I do not hate you," he spoke softly. She stared at him as her wailing stopped, her dark eyes full of pain. Ryo pulled her into a tight hug. "I'm sorry," he said. She sniffed deeply and then gasped. Ryo's hearing caught the hurried beat of feathers and he snatched the little girl up and spun to the side as something whistled by his head. He stumbled across a tree root and one hand shot against the tree trunk to help steady his balance. He hastily looked up, his black hair falling in his eyes.      Through the strands, he saw Hisoka glare at him, anger carved into the man's facial expression. The man stood slightly hunched, his hands clenched in tight fists and his eyes narrowed dangerously. "So, it is not enough that you reawaken old wounds, but must you rub salt in them as well?"      Ryo stared at Hisoka and felt the little girl's hands clutch at his shirt tightly. Hisoka noticed the movement, and the anger left his face so only disappointment and hurt remained in his expression. His shoulders drooped in defeat and Ryo, feeling bad for the hurt he caused in the father, almost gave the child back.      Almost.      His arm tightened protectively around the girl.      Hisoka stared at his daughter for a few moments, and then whirled around. His feather-lined cape flared dramatically outward to wrap around his legs.      "Fine, run to him then," he snarled beneath his breath as he held a hand out. A raven cawed from the tree branches and flew down to straddle his offered hand. He shot a quick glance over at Ryo and the child. "There is still the debt to be paid to the Maiden. Do you plan on him paying it for you?" He turned and walked into the forest and faded from view as if he were an illusion disappearing.      Ryo looked at the little girl, and she looked back at him. "So," he began nervously, realizing this was the first time he held a young child since Jun was eight, "what is your name?"   
  
  


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	11. Chapter Eleven

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Eleven

     "Mama?" Ryo stopped walking just as he reached the clearing around his cabin. He carried Itsue on his back as he trudged through the forest. He had been watching his feet so they wouldn't get tangled up in any of the roots or bushes and accidentally trip. He glanced upward and saw the white figure by the cottage when Itsue spoke.      He set Itsue down on the ground and then grabbed her hand in his. He started walking towards the cabin but stopped when he felt his hand drag with some weight. He turned around and saw Itsue digging her heels into the ground as her little body shook with fear.      "What's the matter?" he asked.      Itsue's mouth worked opened and closed twice before she could say anything. "I can't step over there," she whispered. Her grip on his hand tightened.      "Why not?"      Itsue sobbed and took a step away. Tears began to fall down her face again. "I can't. No one with a raven curse may, for we'd be crushed."      "Who says?" Ryo gently demanded as he knelt down to look directly into her eyes without her having to crane her neck to look at him. Itsue whimpered and hugged herself against his body. Ryo sighed and rested his chin on top of her hair.      "Those that carry the dead may not enter the realm of those who are dead and are not carried. Mommy is dead and this is her realm as a ghost. I can't enter it! Her purpose blocks me from coming to her."      "Who says that?" Ryo asked again as he rubbed Itsue's back in comfort. "Who says that? How do you know he or she weren't lying?"      She pulled herself free of his grip, her hair flying as she shook her head violently. "I can't! I can't enter!" Ryo stood up.      "And why?"      "Because it's the realm of the dead! I can't enter it until Mommy leaves it permanently!"      "But she can't."      "And I can't cross the threshold! The force of Mommy's purpose will crush that which carries me and I will die."      Ryo stared down at her. He crossed his arms before his chest in quiet contemplation as Itsue sniffed and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. He glanced over his shoulder to see Itsue's ghostly mother by the side of the cabin, shaking her head and mouthing unheard words. Transparent tears streamed down her face. Ryo rubbed the temples in his forehead and wished Seiji was there so he could badger him for advice.      "Look," he began as patiently as he could, "if you can't cross the threshold, then what can we do?"      "I don't know," Itsue whimpered in reply, her large eyes centered upon her mother.   
  
  
     Ryo spent the rest of the day setting up a tent for Itsue to stay in at the border of the forest and cabin's clearing. Byakuen refused to come out of the cabin to meet Itsue, and if that wasn't bad enough, the stubborn tiger kept pushing Ryo and tried to keep him in the cabin every time Ryo exited it. As soon as Ryo had set the tent up, he brought blankets out of the cabin for the child to use. There would have been a pillow for her to use as well but for the fact that Byakuen had sink his teeth into the material and when Ryo tried to yank it away, the pillow tore and feathers flew everywhere.      "Look," he said to his tiger as Byakuen growled and set himself in front of the door when Ryo came back and grabbed a book of matches to start a fire outside, "I'm sick and tired of your being stubborn like this. I know that you are nervous about everything around here, but what am I supposed to do? Itsue is a lonely child who can't come to her mother and her father just left her behind, and maybe her soul is possessed by a raven, but what else can I do?" The two creatures stared at one another. Man's will battled briefly with cat's will.      Byakuen, whining under his breath, laid down and flattened his ears. He glared up at Ryo, his eyes saying, _Well, if you learned how to control that damn generosity of yours, then we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place._ Ryo huffed in reply and glared down at him.      "What is the matter? What is going on? Is something wrong with Itsue?" he asked as he pointed out the window to where the child was slowly gathering twigs and small sticks together into a pile for a fire. Byakuen growled at the mention of the name. Ryo sighed and sat down beside his tiger. "What can I do?" he asked again sadly as he rested his hand upon Byakuen's head. "Seiji is in the hospital, Shuu is of no help, I don't know where to get hold of Touma, and who knows what happened to Shin? You're currently the only friend I have at the moment, but we're having a bit of trouble with communications."      Byakuen huffed and turned his head away from Ryo in a silent sulk. Ryo stood up and tried to step over Byakuen. Byakuen growled and stood up, his body between Ryo's legs.      "Hey! Lemme down!" Byakuen ignored Ryo's protests as he turned around and dumped Ryo on the floor. He promptly sat upon him.      "Argh! You stupid cat! Let up off me!" Byakuen licked his chomps and gagged Ryo with the tip of his tail.   
  
  
     The wind blew across the top of the sea and picked up the scent of musty salt and carrying it across the land. The sea was a choppy and rough gray. The waves angrily leapt from its surface and crashed against one another or the shore. A foot stepped onto the beach, the brown grains crunching beneath it.      Hisoka stared across the surface and remembered how this was the very spot where he and his troop had departed late at night on the submarine, off to attack those war ships surrounding the island. He closed his eyes with the remembered pain of the departure. But he was not here to remember past pain, but to beg for an extension to a debt. That Ryo had taken his daughter had not been part of the plan. He strode down to the shore, the wind whipping at his black hair and cape.      "Mistress of the sea!" he called; his voice bounced through the howling wind as it blew the scent of an angry sea into his face. "Mistress of the sea!" The water at his feet swept back and into a whirlpool, the center of the pool as smooth as glass. Rising out of it as a pillar of water that took shape in a female form, was the same creature that had warned Shin away.      "What is it that you seek from me now?"      "Time," Hisoka called back.      "I have extended it once, you over reach it. Why should I extend it once more?"      "Because we are still trying to bring you what you want. Unless we have more time in which you quiet down and patiently wait, then we will be unable to bring you the payment."      ". . . Very well, you have until midnight tomorrow."      "M'Lady! That isn't enough time!" How could he get Ryo in so little of a time?      "Silence! It will be what I give you. Bring me the payment by midnight tomorrow or I shall unleash my fury." She descended into the depths of the ocean then, the water ruffling about a few more minutes before the wind finally died down and the ocean began to clear. Hisoka's shoulders drooped forward slightly as he took a tired breath. He turned away from the ocean shore and began to tread back into the forest. A raven cried deep within the dark depths of the forest. He paused and tilted his head to listen to it.      "I know," he whispered. "I know. I come though I tried my best."   
  
  
     Ryo stumbled outside, his legs numb from having Byakuen's weight pressed on top of them for so long. He pulled a sweatshirt on for warmth. As he headed towards Itsue, he could see her mother sitting beneath a tree, crying and wringing her hands in misery and sorrow. How must it have felt to see your own flesh and blood, dear and sweeter than life, just beyond your ability to speak to and to hold tenderly? Ryo handed the blankets he carried to Itsue and then pulled the Dragon Tear out of his pocket.      "What's the matter?" he asked the ghost. Her eyes grew wide and she jumped to her feet from where she had been sitting.      _Look ou-_      Her cry was cut short when something heavy collided with the back of Ryo's head and he passed out.   
  
  
_      "Three X's in a row. I win." Seiji stared down at the game of tic-tac-tos that Morhon cheerfully taught him to pass the time. They were drawn, somehow, into the gray fog beneath them. He sighed, bored already with the game and with losing all the time.      "How long do I have to stay here?" he asked as Morhon erased the marks and began to start a new game. She shrugged and glanced over to the darker gray of their surroundings where she had earlier told him the spirits abided.      "Until the debt has been paid and you are released from this waiting. From there, you may head in that direction," she pointed at the light gray where the mortal realm lay, "or that direction." She pointed at the darker gray. "It all depends greatly upon how the debt is paid. Your move."      Seiji's mind began to etch out his thoughts even as his fingers traced an x in the upper left corner of the grid.   
  
  

_      The crickets chirped in the dim light even as the sun began to rise from behind the mountains and settle itself in the sky. The dew on the leaves sparkled like diamonds in the light upon unfolding green leaves. Trees entwined closely with one another, branches wrapped or reaching to the sun as if to grant it homage for the glorious light it shed. The beauty of this bright early morning was lost to Itsue as she struggled down the slanting country side where the sea lay, dragging the prone body behind herself. She stopped in the shade of one large tree and sat in upon a prominent root after propping the unconscious Ryo up against the tree's trunk. She rubbed at her red-rimmed eyes.      "I'm sorry," she said again, though she knew Ryo could not hear her. "Papa said it would easy to do this, but it's not. You were nice to me and I feel horrible." She sniffed and rubbed at her eyes again. A distant raven called in the wilderness and she jumped at the sound. Her eyes darted to the shadows. A faint thrum filled the air and slowly became louder.      She cringed down against the tree root as if it would shelter her from what was coming. The air was filled with a sense of impatience and the crickets stopped chirping. Itsue's eyes fell to the ground even as a dark shape descended down before her.      _Do you have it? _ the light voice, neither male nor female spoke. She nodded her head and closed her eyes as a small tear fell down her face. It was gently wiped away by a cold hand, but she still did not raise her eyes. _Why do you cry? Do you still feel pain?_ She would not answer. _Give it to me._ Itsue slowly extended her hand. The early sunlight fell upon the glittering black Dragon Tear she held. The cold hand took it from her own. _Yes, good. I imagine that here I should say 'thank you.' Is that what people say when they are given something?_ Again she said nothing. She felt a wave of confusion. _Well, carry on then. The Sea grows impatient. Um, do you need help?_ She shook her head.      The thrum slowly faded away before all that was left of the strange presence was the missing sound of the crickets. Slowly though, one by one, the insects began their morning routine of chirping. Itsue rubbed at her eyes and looked at Ryo. She reached a tiny hand out to nervously pat his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I never meant for this to happen."      She took a golden ring out of a pocket and gazed at it with longing. She kissed the groove that had once held a stone but was now empty, and then slipped it into her own pocket. "You will grow used to the loss," she said quietly. "I did."   
  
  
_      Seiji watched as Morhon stood up as he beat her for the first time at the game. She walked twice around in a circle and then frowned.      "What happened?" he inquired curiously.      "A change of plans has occurred. Stay here, I must see someone." Her form shimmered and disappeared. Seiji stared at the spot where she had been and then looked down at the game. 
_ No problem,_ he thought to himself,_ it's not as if I can really go anywhere at the moment.   
  
  
     Morhon reappeared by the side of the sea and stared down at its still waters. She flitted forward easily and dipped a bare foot into the sea. The salt water licked around her flesh almost hungrily. She bound away from the shore to a cliff that rose outward towards the sky. She quickly scampered to the top and surveyed over the edge at the dark blue waters. She shook her hair back and leapt forward, angling her body away from the rocks that lined the cliff's edge. She hit the water and knifed her body to absorb some of the impact.      White air bubbles wrapped themselves around her body before they slipped free and hurried to the surface. Morhon stared into the dark depths of the sea. Her mind threw out a mental call. Something as ancient as herself answered and she wrapped a shield of shadows around her form. She withdrew from her surroundings and shifted from the turquoise shadows into the deeper depths of the ocean where the light of day had never touched before.      Her eyes adjusted themselves to the darkness, bringing up shapes and colors only she could see. As she descended downward, she saw the dark blue sandy sea floor. She tucked her feet together and landed softly. Clouds of sooty mud filled the water. The figure of a woman rose from the sea depths, dark green sea grass wrapped around her waist and trailed down her legs, leaving her breasts bare. Her light green hair floated in the water, moving with the slightest current and her scaly-green skin seemed to glow in the darkness.     _ Yes? _      Morhon blinked her eyes at the sooty mud. _I need a favor granted.      You may name it; I will decide.      There is a mortal about to be sacrificed to the Lady of the Sea to pay a blood-debt.      And you are interested in this mortal for what reason?      He came to me in my cave, searching for help. I granted it when he explained his reasons..      One of these days, your motherly instincts will get the better of you.      Perhaps. But I need your help. You are stronger than the Lady of the Sea, and I need the human to be alive.      Would this human be the child of benevolence and Fire's Soldier?      Indeed.      Do not worry. Someone has already approached me.      Oh? Who? 
_The Immortal Queen of the Water Dragons turned her face from Morhon and abruptly switched the topic.     _ We cannot allow ourselves to become involved with humans. You know that. We told you that when you adopted that other little boy.      Tadashi? But he's a good boy.      I know you miss your own children, but you cannot seek them in humans. They grow old in a time that is as short as a breath for us. You hurt yourself and become depressed each time a human dies, but it is your own fault. Do not trouble yourself over the human. I have called a child of the sea to help his brother, the child of the fire.      I shall not abandon the child of benevolence. I may be immortal and he may only be human; his lifetime may last no more than a heart beat to myself, but every life counts and matters. I will always have the memories they leave me. And you cannot forbid me to stop.      I do not plan on it. But we mess with a child of your element, though as ancient as we are. If we allow ourselves to become involved with the situation, the Word will step in and chastise us for our stepping out of bounds. Our existence cannot be upset for such a thing.      I will not upset your existence. I will place my own risk upon what I do. You may stay out of it.      That was not quite what you were thinking when you called for my help.
_      Morhon did not answer as she darted away and danced from shadow to shadow to the surface of the sea.   
  
  
     Ryo awoke when something smacked his head hard. Or did his head smack something hard? As he opened bleary eyes to peer around, he couldn't tell which had been what. He moved his hand to cradle the sore spots that were scattered around his head but found he was unable to move his hands.      They were tied in front of him.      He sighed and sulked as he looked around with quickly-clearing eyes. Spots of green rose high in the air, tinged with layers of brown. He fluttered his eyelids a few times to clear the spots up.      He was moving.      Okay.      But he was also being dragged across the ground.      . . . Sigh, sigh, and sigh again.      He could tell immediately that it was going to be one of those days where he wished he had stayed in bed. He rolled his eyes and glanced around. Hisoka had both his feet in one hand and was dragging him across the rough forest floor. The continuous lapping water sound and the salt in the air told Ryo he was nearing the ocean. He stiffened as the thought of Hisoka attempting to drown him briefly occurred. Ryo saw Itsue walking beside her father, her little strides matching two with his one. Her hand was engulfed by his free hand. No one had noticed he was awaking. Ryo forced himself to relax and wait for the right time to spring out of their grasp and run away. His hand slipped into a pocket to feel for his yaroi.      It was missing. Ryo muttered some profanities that came immediately to mind beneath his breath, low enough that the two raven-cursed people did not hear him. His head fell back against the ground and he closed his eyes. He felt his body scrape across the rough ground, rocks digging painfully into his back and thin grasses slapping against his face from movement and wind. After a painful eternity, they moved from the forest area onto the beach.      Ryo stifled another curse as he felt the sand get beneath his bunched-up shirt and chafe against his already-irritated skin. At the edge of the ocean, they stopped. Hisoka released the grip he had on Ryo's feet. They limply fell to the ground and hit the lapping water with a small splash. Ryo wiggled his unseen toes in his shoes with the small hopes of getting feeling back into them.      His eyelids fluttered open enough to take in shapes and colors and movements, but closed enough so no one who wasn't directly looking at him would notice. Hisoka stepped into the water up to his ankles, the cape weighed down with the salty moisture. He flung his arms upward into the air. The ends of the cape whipped back with the wild move and flung droplets of water that shone in the sunlight like little diamonds.      Itsue huddled near Ryo, her little hands curled into tight fists beside her mouth. Her eyes were filled with sorrow as she watched her father. Hisoka held the pose in silence for a few moments before his mouth opened.      "Mistress of the Sea! We have arrived with the payment!" The sea, choppy and gray, began to whirl around in a maelstrom. The very center of it remained smooth and calm even as the very edges of the maelstrom began to rise upward. From out of the center shot a tall tower of water that morphed and shaped itself into something vaguely like a woman. Ryo's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he saw it before he mentally kicked himself and screwed his eyes shut.      The head on top of the watery figure seemed to make a 360 degree turn as it observed all angles of Ryo. "He's a child of fire." Her voice was as thunderous and yet as silky as the ocean. Hisoka shot a quick look over his shoulder at Ryo. The Mistress of the Sea spoke and he turned his attention back to her. "You failed to mention that the life you would trade for the other's was that whose nature is in utter terror of mine."      "I felt it may be appropriate," Hisoka replied softly. "As his nature is that of fire and fire has long been an enemy of water, thus may well be irony for him to die as such." A wry smile twisted his lips. The Mistress of the Sea regarded Hisoka for a moment. A small crest of water broke at the sandy beach and a vial filled with a smoky green liquid rolled over to his feet.      "Go," she said. "Rescue the one who would otherwise have died by a child's hand."      "And so it must be." Hisoka picked the vial up and gently handed it to Itsue. She clutched it desperately to her collarbone and ran away from them, down the length of the beach into the forest. A raven flew from the shadows and hovered over her as they disappeared in the distance. "I would rather the blood stain my hands then those of my child's." Hisoka gazed after Itsue as if he would never see her again.      Ryo felt himself relax as his mind sorted through what had just took place. Seiji would be all right. But it would be at the cost of his life. Well, prices must be paid. If one life must be given up to save another, then let it be his own rather than Seiji's. Seiji didn't deserve that; it was Ryo's fault for getting mixed up with the situation anyway. Seiji had plans and ideas for what he wanted his life to be like; he deserved to have the chance to fulfill them.      As the gray tower of water reached down, Ryo opened his eyes to fully look upon the face of the Mistress of the Sea. Her face was a single sheet of water with pearl-like eyes gazing out to the world. His nature balked at the idea of being touched by her, but he surrendered himself to his fate. He held his arms out to her as the water pulled him off the ground. He was carried, as gently as a child, as the Mistress of the Sea swept outward to the deeper parts of the ocean, and then she plunged downward with Ryo. She lost her shape and become one with the waters. A strong current, pulling first one way and then another, quickly tugged him into the deeper recesses of the blurry wet world.      Ryo felt the cold of the water invade his being; the natural fire that kept him warm at all times disappeared beneath it. A tight band of pressure wrapped around his chest. He clawed at his throat in momentary panic. Was this what it was like to drown? The air burst from his lungs in a cloud of bubbles and his lungs constricted to draw in the air they were so used to having. He choked as the liquid invaded his body. A dead weight settled in his chest; an aching, burning dead weight that twisted his insides and created a stinging pain at the very top of his skull. It suddenly occurred to Ryo that his body may never be found and his friends would wonder, until their deaths, what had happened to him.      Ryo stopped struggling. He forced his body, twitching and convulsing from suffocation, to relax. Energy fled from him as he sunk downward. A feeling, bone-weary and exhausting, overcame him. His vision, already blurry from the water, turned black around the edges.      Something bright and blue began to rise upward from the dark depths towards him. Ryo sleepily held his arms out to the figure. Auburn hair floated around and framed green eyes. Was that Shin? Funny how Death took on the appearance of a friend. The ancients believed that Death was a friend; a trustworthy figure who never failed in his job. What irony it was that Death, a familiar figure to Ryo from years ago when he and the other Troopers battled Arago, should take the form of a dear friend.      Death, in the appearance of Shin, opened his own arms to Ryo, his white and blue sub armor reflecting the colors of their surroundings. He wrapped his arms around Ryo, and they descended together into the water, away from the surface.   
  
  


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	12. Chapter Twelve

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Twelve

_      Seiji had been playing against himself in a wild game of tic-tac-toes (well, perhaps not wild; it was just something to pass the time with) when he felt the pulling sensation that tugged him upwards into the gray mist. For a second, it looked as if he could go back to his game, when he was whipped away from it and pulled almost painfully into his body.      He opened blurry eyes to see a small face with a starburst-like scar on the cheek. It jumped as Itsue tried to force a smile onto her face. Seiji narrowed his eyes at her. She burst into tears.      "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" She ran away from him, past the bed and out of the room. Seiji sank back against his pillows. He took a ragged breath as he heard approaching footsteps. Yayoi popped her head into the room, looking tired and frayed, and gave a quick, customary look over the room. Her eyes widened when she noticed her brother was awake and well.      "Seiji!" She sprang from the doorway and bounced over to the bed to give her brother a breath-taking (Seiji's, to be exact) hug. "I was so worried!" She pulled away from him and frowned. "Do you hurt?" she asked, her voice full of genuine concern. Seiji looked thoughtful for a moment. Was this a trick question? Nah . . .      "Um, no."      "Good." Yayoi proceeded to strangle Seiji. "How DARE you worry your family like that! Grandfather taught you well enough to defend yourself against being stabbed!" She stopped after a moment and dropped her arms. "That made me feel better," she announced in a light voice. Seiji glared at her as he rubbed his collarbone.   
  
  
     "Hey."      Nudge nudge.      "Hey!"      Poke poke.      "HEY!"      Pinch pinch.      Ryo did not bother opening his eyes. His hand shot out to wrap around the throat of the person who would not let him sleep. "Knock it off," he grumbled before he released his grip. He rolled over onto his side. Another voice, light and feminine, coughed. It sounded familiar.      "You have a tendency to be rather violent, young man."      "Hn." A shiver ran up and down Ryo's back. So this was what it was like after a person died. Darkness, the cold, and mocking female voices. Well, he supposed it could be worse. Did this place even have a blanket? He felt about for it, and when his hand encountered some cloth, he yanked at it and tried to pull it over his body. A different voice, much like the one that had tried to awaken him, screeched in something akin to indignity.      "Eee! My dress!"      And Ryo was jolted awake with a harsh left hook to the head. He sat upright, saw double for a brief moment, and then his vision cleared and he saw Morhon, Shin, and one other person. She had hair the color of sea foam and eyes that matched the darker depths of the ocean Ryo could remember being pulled into. Their shape were the same as Morhon's.      Did this mean he was not dead? Or was he a ghost like Tadashi?      He rubbed his aching jaw; he didn't think he was a ghost. That punch hurt too much. He looked at the woman who punched him. She rubbed her sore knuckled and nervously looked away from him at Morhon. The Queen of Black Dragons was satisfying herself with the domesticate task of making tea over a tiny fire. Shin sat beside her and watched Ryo with worried eyes.      "What's the matter?" Ryo asked as he leaned forward. The dragon began to lean away from him but stopped when Morhon turned a warning glance on her. The Queen sighed at the unspoken questions within Ryo's eyes. She carefully set the teapot onto the ground and demurely folded her hands in her lap.      "Ryo, this is Marinka. She is a dragon of the water. You are a creature of fire. She catches the scent and heat from you whenever you move, and it makes her nervous because it is water's duty to eradicate fire. No, do not say apologize; it is all right. It is only her nature versus yours that is at odds here, and there is nothing you may do to change it anymore than you may switch natures. Marinka, I understand you wish to go back to your mother and the sea, but you must stay here and remember all that is said for your mother's sake. Please, do not allow Ryo to make you ill at ease. And Shin, if-oh wait. You did not do anything."      Shin broke into a small smile. "Darn, and you were on a role, too."      "I most certainly was."      Silence reigned as Morhon went back to making tea.      "What happened?" Ryo finally asked. Morhon handed him a fresh cup of tea. He looked down at it to see raspberry leaves floating around in the dark liquid.      Morhon folded her knees beneath herself and regarded those around her. "I have a confession of sorts," she began. Ryo blew at the hot tea and sent tendrils of steam drifting from the cup. He regarded Morhon as he sipped at it. "It would appear as if the matter concerning my Tears goes deeper than we have credited the known problem thus far."      Shin folded his arms across his chest and waited. Moron continued on, even as her solid green eyes flickered over in his direction. "I care not to involve any more people than what there are. I wish to protect you from the inevitable conflict. However, knowing your personality, that will not be possible." She glared at Ryo as if his personality was a fault unto itself. He colored slightly in sheepishness; after all, he did stubbornly persist in nosing about the matters of the ghost and her family and that was the reason why Seiji had been hurt to begin with.      Morhon sighed and smiled at Shin. "You I prefer to keep out of this mess completely." She turned to Ryo. "Your friend would not have been here to begin with had he not come back to the sea as it called him and the Green Dragon Queen had not sent her daughter-" Morhon nodded at Marinka, "-to tell him you were in danger."      "What of you?" Ryo asked.      "I dare not meddle with other's domains. It is not my place, and the Green Dragon Queen took a great risk in sending her daughter for help. She does not approve of the Mistress of the Sea accepting sacrifices." Morhon's mouth twisted, but she said nothing else on the matter. Rather abruptly, she changed the subject. "This is yours." Her wrist twisted and something appeared in her hand. Glowing faintly in the light, Ryo saw it was his yaroi. He instantly sprang upon it.      "I thought I lost it! Where was it?"      "Sitting upon my cave floor," Morhon replied. She smiled wryly. "T'was not the first time it winded up there."      Ryo stared at her in surprise and then looked around, taking in the details of where they were. Sure enough, they were back in her cave. A few oil lamps burned brightly above their heads, supplying the only light within the area. He smiled slightly; he should have realized where they were after sleeping on a stone floor. "How is Tadashi?" he asked as he took another sip of his tea.      "Tadashi does fine," said Tadashi, appearing beside them. Shin jumped in shock. "Thank you very much for asking though." The ghost drifted over to where Morhon was and folded his legs beneath himself. He floated in the air just above the floor. "No one has ever asked after my well-being. I imagine it comes from being dead and thusly you really lose any well-being you may have had."      Morhon poured another cup of tea for herself and cradled it between her hands. "Tadashi found the tea for me. I'm afraid it may be a bit musty, considering how we seemed to have had it for well over a hundred years."      Ryo grinned. "Think of it as vintage, m'lady!"      Morhon returned the smile. "Indeed! Perhaps it is just that!" She cheerfully took a sip of her tea and then set the cup down firmly upon the floor. She folded her hands in her lap. "Marinka, you may leave anytime you care to for the sea. Your mother will grant no more intervention than what she already has. Please tell her Soul Death meddles where it should not, and I will take care of the matter on my own."      Marinka jumped to her feet, her face lit with eagerness. She remembered to give Morhon a quick bow of respect, and then she hurried out of the cavern. Morhon sighed. "I really did not care to see her hurt in what we are about to go up against." She turned to Shin. "You I care not to involve with this entire matter. I wish I could send you home, but I do not believe you will go willingly, which is why you shall stay here with Tadashi. If we are in desperate need of help, he will bring you to us."      The look she gave Tadashi said that the ghost, of course, was to do absolutely nothing of the sort. Morhon turned to Ryo. He quickly shook his head.      "Uh huh. I'm going with you and that's final. I was here from the beginning and I mean to see it to the end."      She smiled and shook her head. "I knew you would say something of the sort, which is why I would not make you stay. You are to come with me. You are the wild card needed to win this situation. As a human, Soul Death will think you weak, but you are not above its notice so it will take an interest in you,. And with your abilities, you have the advantage."      "Uh, Soul Death?" Ryo asked.      Morhon blinked, and then broke into a smile that bared her sharp teeth in a threatening manner. "I seem to have overlooked informing you of our antagonist. Please note I do so deliberately until a more appropriate time. Now, come with me. We must not avoid our rendezvous with evil."      Shin looked as if he was about to say something, but Morhon quieted him with a wave of her hand. "I am immortal. What could possibly be done to me? To the best of my abilities, I shall protect your friend. However, I need him. Darkness cannot fight darkness for it creates too many stalemates; far too many unknowns with horrible outcomes we cannot afford. Fire is light. I need light. You are water. Water cannot be of any service to us where we are going."      She smiled, blew him a kiss, grabbed Ryo suddenly, and melted into the shadows.      Shin looked at Tadashi, who hadn't moved. "She is odd," Shin said after a moment in the hopes of creating a conversation to pass the time with.      Tadashi smiled blandly. "Really? One stops noticing after one has lived with her for well over a hundred years." A thoughtful look passed his face. "Of course, she did spend most of that time sleeping . . ."   
  
  
     They slid, as butter across a hot frying pan would, out of the shadows at the foot of Morhon's cliff. Morhon looked up at the cave as if she was seeing it for the last time.      "What are you not telling me?" Ryo asked after a moment. Morhon shrugged.      "Were you not willing to give your life for your friend when the Lady of the Sea took you?"      "Yes. No. I mean, yes, I was willing to give my life up for my friend."      "Are you still willing to do that to save the lives of all your friends?"      "Of course."      "Good."      Ryo watched as Morhon turned her back to him and trotted a few paces away from him before he spoke up. "Where are we going and who is this enemy we face?" Crickets chirped in the surroundings forest. The trees towered above them as silent guardians, the only witnesses to what was taking place between the soldier of benevolence and the immortal queen of darkness.      Morhon stopped a moment, glanced quickly around, and then gestured Ryo close to her. He came slowly, unsure of what was wrong. She gave the shadows deep within the cover of the trees and bushes another wary look before standing on tip-toe and cupping a hand around her mouth. Ryo leaned close to capture her whispered words.      "Outside my domain, my element may be used against me. Would you come into realms that are usually only associated with death and nightmares to learn the secrets of your enemy?"      Ryo gave Morhon an odd glance, searching for something in her face that would betray what she really meant. Her youthful face was open and eager, but also saddened. Ryo nodded once as his eyes continued to search. She brightened slightly then reached up to grab both Ryo's hands. She fell backwards top the ground, pulling Ryo with her.      They slipped into darkness devoid of all light, where not even black could be called black, because the color was too deep, too bottomless. They spiraled downward in an almost floating-like stance, eerily slow, into the dead-like quiet. In the darkness that was too deep to be called darkness, the two lone figures were wrapped within their auras of mutual colors. Ryo glanced down at himself in surprise to see a faint red hue cling to his body. Morhon was a deep, deep gray, almost blending into her surroundings.      Morhon released Ryo's hand and rolled away in a tight flip. She up-righted herself and stared at Ryo as her body drifted around his in lazy circles.
__ This is my domain._ Her voice reverberated through everything. The darkness swallowed the sound and sent it rocking back at them even as the vibrations of the resonance trembled through Ryo's body. _ We are safe here, no matter what happens. What we say will be safe and the wrong persons shall not hear it._      "What is it you dare be so careful of?" Ryo whispered. The sound of his voice seemed to disappear into the darkness, not strong enough to fight for its own identity. He wrapped his arms around himself to stop the shiver that ran through his body.      Morhon's form shimmered, as if she were fighting to keep her identity a physical thing.     _ The dragons are ancient beings,_ she began slowly. _We were created at the beginnings of time, many, many thousands of years ago. The Word spoke, and the Universe was created. We saw the progress of mankind through good times and bad, flourishing no matter what happened._ She gave Ryo a cryptic smile. _You are fascinating creatures. You never seemed to give up, no matter how bad things were. Those are very admirable traits, found in but a few rare species. You are stubborn with life, generous as any angel, and yet so utterly and completely selfish without deigning yourself to absolute destruction.      But we dragons are not the only immortal creatures to be born at the beginnings of time. There is a balance in everything that exists. If not, then one side would destroy itself, no matter the element of order or chaos. Indeed, it is because of the Lord of Chaos that we dragons exist. We dragons represent all elements created to balance one another. Earth and air. Fire and Water with its companion, Ice. Light and Darkness. But were we the created good? No, we were neutral in the forces of what is evil and what is good. We were already balanced out within our elements. It was a disadvantage to the beast of disorder, even as it is a disadvantage for the Angel Seraph. And it is because of these disadvantages does the Word forbid to partake with either side with want or desire for chaos and order.      However, our elements were to allow us control when matters got too out of hand and we are forced to make a decision between both. Light and darkness have always been enemies. Warring against one another for control, they do not always win and, more often than not, lose. Light often overcomes darkness, and darkness has a weakness, in that it swallows itself up.     
_ "Weakness?"      Morhon ignored him. A vacant look spread across her features as if she had plunged her psyche into memories buried deeper than the darkness' depths they were within.     _ But if you distinguish the source of light, then darkness will rule absolute. Be there only a tiny flicker of light against the impeding darkness, 'tis only a matter of time before the light is snuffed out.      And within that darkness exists an evil, because only evil can feed off darkness. That is what evil does; it feeds upon its victims until it turns upon itself and the destruction caused is amassed with great wounds. Evil is as ancient as I am, having sprung from the beast of disorder, He Who Destroys Creation, and it feeds from my power as I am the Queen of Darkness, of non-light, of shadows.      But what am I queen of? Only a kingdom that lays in dust, my people long dead, and everything but a fading memory. 
_      Pictures, fast, fleeting and transparent, whirled from the darkness. They shot by Ryo before fading and being replaced by another. After a few of them-of a black-scaled dragon that bore herself with a familiar grace and a red-scaled dragon of an infinitely larger size and masculine posterity-Ryo realized they were Morhon's memories. There were eggs and clusters of baby dragons both red and black that tormented the larger dragons as only children could and get away with it. It was overlaid by a dark cloud of ashes as the children and the eggs were destroyed by hoards of men with painted faces and fierce, sharp weapons.     _ But as I have no kingdom now, and no children, what do I risk when I pull my power back away from the creature that feeds up on it? Perhaps the Angel Seraph would end my reign and a new ruler shall take my place for such insubordination on my part._ Her hands snapped forward in an almost-prayer like movement, and the darkness disappeared with a whoosh. Ryo found himself floating in almost blinding-white area. He cried out in surprise and covered his eyes. White still shone as if it had been burned into his retinas.     _ Do you realize the color black is the equal combination of all existing colors? That is why I have always been the most powerful of all dragons. When you take away all colors, only white-which is not a color, but all that remains when everything else has been drained-exists. Nothing that is not of pure Order may exist forever in white, for to be exposed to one's true self, to see how petty, ugly, and coarse you are, is often a sight that drives people to the brink of madness.     
_ Morhon spread her arms wide. The blackness returned, hue by different hue of color. It started out as the lightest yellow before it turned blue, and then green, which darkened into a magenta and began to show shades of red, deep into brown, and finally, fading into black._ Within black exists all colors, and within each of those colors is the corresponding power. Because of this, evil may take any form and any personality, for within those depths of darkness is what is, has been, and will be.      Darkness has always existed; it was before light came to being, and all objects existing before light casts shadows, so it will always exist. Everything comes from the darkness, and everything eventually returns to the darkness. It is the reflection of all that is. Those who use my power to their own ends manifest themselves so they are stronger than those of the light. But the more they fight against the light, the more the light strips away the darkness until those evil lose their ability to use my power. Without the darkness, these souls may not take various forms.      The darkness is not evil, Ryo. It never has been. It is those who use it to fight against the light that are evil. The darkness is not the enemy of the light, for the light is merely the absence of darkness in which the darkness is the lightest of its hues. They fight merely because of their differences, but without light, darkness cannot determine its own self, and without darkness, light remains undefined.      The enemy we face has long been ignorant of the light. It stayed within the recesses of the darkness, not because it could not exist knowing what it truly was, but because it was too scared to emerge into the light. It was created at the beginning of the time as I was, but it had not the guidance nor companionship other immortals were blessed with. Little by little, it slowly began to rise upward from the deeper depths of the darkness. It marveled at the different hues of color that exists. And so a desire to possess these colors overcame it in its childish delight, and it rose a little higher up into the light.      Now, this creature was not inherently evil. Nothing is inherently evil. It was merely curious of the world, but curiosity is far more dangerous than evil can ever be. It is one of the far more powerful aspects of Chaos and is the key root to almost all turmoil and disorder. This creature roamed the world at night for it could not yet stand the brightness of day.      Ryo, we both know what often takes place night. Violence, cold cruelty, unhampered bitterness, wickedness that otherwise would not be seen at day is released at night because many of the good people are tucked safely in their homes and there are few to stop the evilness that runs rampant under the cover of darkness. Darker aspects of Chaos, that which the darkness fashioned in reaction to the Word's creation of the Universe.      People do not have the light to see how wicked they truly are at night, and so thus they hide behind their facades of superiority. They truly cannot see how wicked they are. Within this darkness, where evil blossomed, the creature learned of the darker side of humanity. The creature could not exist within the light where goodness flourishes and overrides evil, even just temporarily. It could not see the opposition of darkness where the opposite, the balance and the good, must ride.      For hundreds of years it watched as the evil progressed. As innocent as a babe and just as inexperienced, the creature became influenced. And because of the influence, when oppressed by something that the darker side of humanity represses in the vain hope of hiding from the ugliness of that which it is, the creature could not understand politeness, trust, honesty, charity, unselfish sacrifice, and heroic deeds for greater good.      Finally, it began to exist within the twilight.      Five decades earlier from now, give or take a few years, there was said to be the war that ended all wars. I may have slept through it all, but I was in a suspended motion where I could watch everything take place. War is darkness after all, it is my element and I know all that takes place in my realm.      A young man was killed at twilight during the war. Those who die during the time of the spirits are the most likely to dwell within that region between the world of the living and the world of the dead. Coupled with the fact he promised he would return to his wife and child, the young man could not make the full transition to the dead. He could be apart of neither worlds, trapped by a single promise too powerful to release him.      His power was limited though; he could only stay in the place he had died, which was the sea where his submarine had sunk. Among the crew of a hundred, he was the only one who haunted that machine. It was a horrible place that even the water dragons shunned. A year passed. One day, while making its usual rounds throughout the world at night, watching the evil take place from the beginning of twilight, the creature from our earlier subject caught the whiff of a violent thought. It followed the trail of the thought until it reached your cabin. A little before twilight ended, it witnessed the horrible end of a woman whose heart cried, alone and tired.      The woman waited for her husband through the pain, and so she was trapped in the land between the living and the dead when her life, at last, ended. Thus she would wait there until her husband returned for her.
_      Ryo turned pale when he finally realized what the story was about. "Hisoka and his wife," he whispered.      Morhon turned slowly from where she gazed outward. Her eyes, calm and grave, settled upon Ryo. She nodded her head slowly._ Aye. Hisoka felt the moment his wife was torn from the world of the living, and he used the pain he felt to rip himself free of the area he was trapped and projected himself to the area his wife was. He could not save her. However, his child was still in mortal danger. Once the evil men had finished doing what they would with the woman's body, they moved on to do what they would with the daughter, Itsue.      Hisoka killed them. As a spirit, he is a shadow of his former self. As a shadow, he has a natural ability to use my power. He used it to shred the men that killed his wife, thereby protecting his daughter.      The creature was watching this. Having never before witnessed such a strong emotion that was not wicked or cruel, and yet to see such an action associated with it hardly seemed fitting. So the creature approached Hisoka with questions. 'Why?' asked the creature. 'Why did you protect the girl?'      'Because I love her,' was the reply. 'And I would give anything to have protected my wife, but I couldn't.' Because the woman was trapped as a spirit in that area, the man could not enter it, so she never learned that her husband had been near until much later.      And that was when the creature decided to explore this new side of humans. These positive emotions were at odds with negative emotions it had always associated itself with. It was filled with a burning desire to know more of these feelings. Yet, because of its very nature, it wanted to destroy these feelings.      For you to understand the next part of this story, allow me to take you back more than a hundred years ago. Remember how I said Tadashi and I met? He was a skinny little orphan child who took it upon himself to climb the cliff to my cave. He was told that, because he was so weak, he would not live very long. He felt for once in his life he would like to see or do something special, and I was the only special thing in existence that he knew of within a walking distance.      I was impressed with him. He was very brave to have climbed my cliff in such a condition that he was, and I saw no fear in his eyes. So I gifted him with advice and a ring with a Tear engraved within the middle. Before Tadashi died, he gave a young lad the ring. That young lad grew up, had a family, and eventually grew old. Four generation passed, and the ring passed through each generation, until it was passed onto Itsue.      The creature recognized the Tear as a piece of my power. It knew that enough shadows gathered together would form a solid masse. However, there were three problems.      The first was Itsue, a small child who had just lost both her parents. She possessed the Dragon Tear, and because of it, could communicate with both her parents. She did not know of her father as of yet, but rather promised her mother she would find him. Upon leaving the domain of her mother, she did found her father. The second problem was Hisoka, who was free and no longer had a place to tie himself to. His immediate reaction was to attach himself to his daughter so he would not dissolve away into an echo. The third problem was Aya.     
_ "Aya?"     _ Aye. The ghost you have been trying to help does have a name. Aya was trapped in her own spot around the cabin, waiting for her husband's return as he had promised. She could sense he was near, and it was the resolve to wait for him that gave her the strength to stay as a spirit. But it was her domain, and Hisoka could not cross it until she passed away. As Aya would not pass on as she waited for him, Hisoka could not see her. I would find this situation amusing were it not so tragic.      The creature of wicked darkness reasoned that perhaps Hisoka could cross if he were alive. So the creature used an art it had invented back in the darker ages of mankind where necromancy was still alive and flourishing. He bound Hisoka to a raven, regardless of Hisoka's own perception of what he now exists as. Hisoka was able to take a solid form, but he may only exist within the light, because to descend too far in the dark would leave him vulnerable to other creatures of the dark, or to break the bonds. But that was not the answer either. Hisoka still could not enter the domain of another spirit.      Itsue was another agenda that had to be taken care of as Hisoka was bound to both her and the raven. Not knowing how to respond to children, Soul Death bound her to a raven as well. So she was trapped always in being a child, never allowed the chance to grow up. Because she was locked within the curse as a spirit was, trapped and unable to go anywhere as a spirit, she too was subjected to the same rules of her father. As these two are bound together not only through their ravens but through one another, they may not venture far from each other. Where you find Itsue, you will see Hisoka, and vice versa.      The creature took the Tear, telling Hisoka and Itsue that, when enough Tears were found, eventually they would have gathered together enough power to give Hisoka a truly solid form where he would not be subjected to the rules of being a spirit, and release Aya from where she was trapped. But the Tears are rare and precious gems, found in few places of the world where a dragon would not interfere with the collecting of. A thorough search across Japan only provided them with one, and that one was Itsue's.     
_ "And then I came along."_      Aye, and then you came along. You had every intention to stop them, and that they could not allow; on the bright side of your meddling, you have a much-needed Tear.     
_ "But Hisoka and Itsue never meant any harm! They only wanted to help Aya." _      Aye.     
_ "And where does that creature fit in? You say that it is evil, and you call it Soul Death. Why? What has this creature done besides being influenced by the world? I don't understand."     _ Ah, Ryo. I call it Soul Death for it is just that. It is the death of souls. Truthfully, there was no known name for the creature. You must beware of naming such beings, for to do so is to lend it power and grant ease to those seeking to manipulate that power. By binding Hisoka and Itsue, it slowly kills their souls, until they will fade and exist no more. And that is why I call the creature Soul Death. It is not inherently evil, but it has been influenced by the evil for too long. It needs to be stopped by someone who is in command of light.     
_ "I'm not of the light. Fire is my element."      Fire is light. Light only reveals that which truly is. But fire is the destructive force of light that destroys what gets in its way, and purifies what remains of that. It is the force of all elements to be reckoned with and is the most respected of all. Ryo, you are fire, and in that, you are light. I need someone with your nature and your power to help me. Your virtue is benevolence. That is kindness, compassion, goodwill. Indeed, you are the child of benevolence, and there was only one other in all the Realms to hold that name, and that was the Angel Seraph reborn. Even then, the Angel Seraph could only claim the title for four blissful and innocent years of your lifetime.      Ryo, there are many emotional aspects, and almost all of these aspects are a form of Chaos. Chaos is conflict and as such is pure energy. That energy is not always something we care to have. Chaos may only be coaxed, for to fight is to form chaos, and the more one fights, the more chaos is formed. Benevolence is a form of Order, for Order does not create confusion. Love is an aspect of Chaos because love is confusion. Compassion does not seek to confuse nor is it layered so there are different sides. Compassion is plain and simple without an exterior motive than what the compassion is being offered in. If deceitfulness, treachery, or confusion are involved, Order does not exist. You were born to be a child of this, ruled forever by this virtue no matter the circumstance.      I am a neutral force. I can only step in if the battling forces that lay on either side of me cross into my personal boundaries. If I were to interfere otherwise, then the Word, that which created me, would step in and put an end to me through the Angel Seraph for my siding with either Chaos or Order.      "But Soul Death is using your power! Can't you stop that? You yourself said that it dwells within your element, and you are the queen of your element."     _ Aye. But all elements and all forces are generated from the darkness, both good and evil. I gave my Tears away to you and to Tadashi, which was passed on to Itsue. She freely gave her Tear to Soul Death, and even though your Tear was taken, it was not longer in my care. I may do nothing as long as Soul Death does not strike any blows directly against me.      To do otherwise would warrant my end! You cannot understand the awe, respect, and fear both the Angel Seraph and the Lord of Chaos command!      I will not deny I need your help, loath as I might to beg you for it. If Soul Death continues, it will destroy Itsue and Hisoka. Itsue nearly killed your friend, and it almost broke her heart. The only way she was able to save Seiji was to exchange his death for yours. You were to be sacrificed to the sea, but the Immortal Dragon Queen of Water did not care for the idea, and asked Shin through Marinka if he would intervene.      Once Soul Death destroys Itsue and Hisoka, it will feel lost and it shall seek others to take their place. The more souls are captured, the more souls will die. It is the very pattern through which Chaos was born. Every action gives birth to another.      You need to go after Soul Death and chase it back into the inner depths of the darkness to this place here. Once fully in my domain and not existing anywhere near the lighter hues and as far from light as possible, I may chain Soul Death to this place, and not allow it near the light until this darkness has purged the foulness from it. By invading my domain, I can only trap it there without worrying of the interference of the Word.     
_ "But?" Ryo urged her. Morhon turned away from him and her shoulders drooped.     _ But I do not know if you can do it. Ryo. Soul Death is ancient, and while it has only seen the evil of several centuries, it knows a great many terrible things that may be used against you. I could be sending you to your death, and I feel terrible. You are a creature of fire. Morhon turned and looked directly at Ryo. You are like my husband, a shining creature full of warmth and bounce, ready to take on the world and drink in all its experiences, no matter what is thrown at you. I want you to be able to fulfill that life, to fill that desire to know everything that there is to be known. I will not lie to you. There is the chance that you may not come back.     
_ Ryo broke into a brave smile. "Hey! Let me believe that I will come out alive, and I will. There is nothing that will get in my way. Discouragement, though, may do more harm than good."      Morhon returned the smile._ Ah. Forgive me, Ryo._ There was a long pause as she continued to smile and gaze upward at him as if memorizing his features. _Now, sum up what I have told you in short. I want to see if you understand everything, or if I should clarify some matters more clearly. _      "Uh, okay." Ryo frowned thoughtfully, recalling the conversation that had been taking place ever since they entered into Morhon's direct realm of power. All the words she had told him, the mountain of information crammed into his mind, clambered forth into indeterminable sources. It was difficult to pinpoint the beginning.      Morhon watched him for a moment, and then broke into a wide smile. _Overwhelmed?_ she asked. Ryo nodded. _Would you prefer I sum up the situation?_ Ryo nodded again, gratefulness plain on hi face. _Very well. Soul Death is a creature of the darkness that slowly kills the souls of Itsue and Hisoka. In order to stop it and release the souls from their bindings. You will have to use your own powers against it. Fire commands a great deal of respect from the other elements and is the destructive, purifying, force of light. You cannot kill an immortal creature and I cannot fight it outside of my domain. Wound Soul Death the best you can, for then it will flee into the darkest areas of my domain to be healed. Once there, I shall take action and chain the creature to the depths until it forgets the evil it has learned. Understand?      Ryo gazed at Morhon's face, and then slowly nodded once. "Yes."      She reached up then, her hands resting lightly upon his cheeks. Her fingers splayed wide and she rubbed the palms of her hands against the skin on his face. Her solid green eyes were softened by tender light. She did it for whatever reason-perhaps she found it comforting to touch him and took strength in his own confidence that he would life through the matter.      Morhon withdrew her hands and dropped them to her side. She drifted slightly away from him. 
__Good luck, _she said softly. _Give me your hands._ She held her own out, palm upwards. Ryo laid rested his hands over hers. She stared down at the knuckles, and then turned the hands over study the calluses and grains of the skin.      She cocked her head, dropped his hands, and raised hers. Two bright pinpoints of light appeared between them, hovering in the layered velvet darkness. A black jewel, only slightly lighter than its surroundings, and a jewel as bright and red as any single flame Ryo had ever seen. They both floated over her open hand. _My Tear, _Morhon said softly. _And my husband's._      Before Ryo could react to that, Morhon snatched Ryo's left hand and pulled the palm down. The black Tear dropped from where it was hovering and pressed itself against the middle of his hand. It sunk painlessly into his flesh. The very top, imbedded like a small beauty mark, winked momentarily with a reflected spark of light. Ryo stared at it in surprise, and then Morhon did the same thing to his other hand with the red Tear.      She backed away from him and looked at him expectedly. Ryo stared at them for a long moment, and then looked at Morhon.      Finally, he said, "What was that about?"      _They are my gifts to you. The ultimate power of anything is darkness. Everything springs from it, and with a piece of Shadow, you may call upon any other power you need. The red Tear was my husband's, and he was a fire dragon. Your main element is fire; this Tear's ultimate and only ability is connected with fire in any shape, form, or position. In that thereof, your fire shall become stronger and you will find yourself in the possession of a finer control. You will need that to face Soul Death._      Ryo glanced at the back of his hands. "How do I give them back to you after this is all over with?" Morhon looked indignant over such a prospect.      _You shall do no such thing! I said they were gifts for you. And this way, with their being in your flesh, no one may take them in any way, short of forcefully removing your hand. Now go, your battle awaits you._      Morhon planted both hands upon his chest and gently pushed him back. Ryo sank downward through the darkness. Morhon's figure became smaller as he silently drifted further away. Finally, she all but disappeared, and he closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to enter his mind and blot out awareness.      Morhon's shoulders hunched forward where she was still floating. _Ah,_ she said wistfully to herself._ Would that I had a child like you. Perhaps I did, at one time, but I may never know. May the darkness open its path to you and allow you safe passage._   
  
  


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	13. Chapter Thirteen

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Thirteen

     Byakuen thoughtfully snuffed at Ryo's sleeping face, and then licked it. Ryo, awake almost as once more from the tiger's breath than the rough wet tongue, pushed Byakuen away and sat upright. "Why is it," he said slowly as he glared at his tiger, "that nearly every time I have woken up in some awkward position while involved in this mess, you are almost always the one who wakes me up?"      "Because I'm the only one foolish enough to stick with you. Now get your butt off the ground before I am forced to haul you to your feet by the seat of your pants," replied a gruff though affectionate voice from the rolling depths of Byakuen's throat. Byakuen turned and walked a few paces away, leaving behind a stunned Ryo.      Byakuen looked over his shoulder at Ryo. "What's bugging you?"      Ryo's mouth opened twice before he managed to get words from it. "I can hear you!" And then, in even greater surprise, "You can talk?"      Byakuen snorted. "You never bothered to listen to me," he said, sounding as if this was a horrible crime. "And we're going to have a long talk about communications and listening to what I try to tell you when I try to tell you, after this whole matter is over."      Ryo blushed, chagrined. "Well, it's not as if I could hear you before."      "And now you can. You may no longer use the excuse of, 'Well, how was I supposed to know what you meant when we can't understand one another!' Now let's go."      "I never used that excuse before," Ryo grumbled as he hurried after the tiger. Byakuen stepped through the woods, easily skirting bushes and moving across fallen logs and over roots. "But how come I can hear you now and not before?"      "As I said, you never listened to me. Go ahead and ignore the tiger; he's just a poor animal that doesn't know anything."      Ryo frowned. "I never said anything like that!"      "I didn't say you did, now did I? Quit lagging."      Ryo tripped over a root.      "Clumsy."      Ryo stood up and glared at Byakuen. "You know, for being such a mild-mannered pet, you sure are snappy."      "You'd be cynical too if you were as old as I was."      "I didn't say you were cynical, I said you were snap-say, just how old are you?"      "Don't pry. It's rude."      Ryo threw his arms up in the air. "That's it! I'm not going to try and hold a conversation with you! It's impossible. I liked you better when I couldn't understand you."      "Sure. Now you realize what your friend is like, you can't stand him. Just as well. You're going to have to save your breath for the up and coming battle."      That brought the memory of what had been taking place to Ryo's mind. In stark detail, he recalled the ghosts who were the reasons why he was even trudging through the woods with his cynical tiger. "So what do I do?" he asked softly as he followed Byakuen. When his tiger did not reply, Ryo ran his fingers through his hair, winced at the snarls that tugged the tender flesh of his scalp, and asked, "Just where are we going?"      "To where it all started."      "Huh?"      "You want to find Soul Death?"      "Well, yes."      "Then we have to go where it all started so you can face off Soul Death."      Ryo stopped. "You know," he began slowly, "I'm getting tired of this, 'back to where it started,' bit." Byakuen turned around to face Ryo. His haunches dropped to the ground in a sitting position. He looked patient, waiting for Ryo to finish speaking. This was the Byakuen Ryo was used to. "It's like, I don't know. I guess if my life was a story, that would be one of the most cliché thing that keeps happening."      Byakuen sighed. It was a puff of air that deflated the giant cat's chest. "Do you know where to look for Soul Death? You need to go to a place that is distinct of the spirits that you have problems with. Soul Death will be attracted directly to you because of the two Dragon Tears you possess."      At the mention of Morhon's gifts, Ryo glanced down at the back of his hands. The Tears winked at him in the shadows of the trees he stood in. "So I have to go back where it all started?"      "Yes."      Thump.      Ryo looked up. "How do I slip into the shadows?" he asked. Byakuen cocked his head thoughtfully, as if not fully understanding what Ryo had said. "How do I slip into the shadows? For me to go where it all began, I would have to go to the darkness where Soul Death exists."      Byakuen growled angrily. "Don't be stupid, boy." Ryo bristled at the last word in the sentence. "You cannot take on such a powerful figure in its own element. That defeats the purpose of your own gift."      Ryo dropped his gaze to the forest floor. Thick moss grew, covering the ground. His feed had sunk into it, surrounded by dead leaves and mushrooms. "But darkness," he said as he recalled Morhon's words, "is that of which everything springs from. It came before light, and it will exist after light has been distinguished. It exists even in the light because light always casts shadows to define what things are." He turned his eyes to Byakuen. "If I am to truly go where it all started, it would have to be were Soul Death exists. If I try to fight it on a plane elsewhere from that, then Soul Death would just escape to its place. If we fight there, it cannot jump anywhere else."      Thump thump.      "Morhon will take care of Soul Death in her own realm."      "But that's the thing!" Ryo made a fist and took a step forward. "Why hasn't she taken care of Soul Death before? Doesn't it already exist within her realm? All things spring from the darkness, even my own power. Isn't that what Morhon said? Therefore her realm is my realm and where this battle must take place. How do I jump directly into her realm to where Soul Death exists?"      Thump thump thump.      Byakuen stared at Ryo for a long moment. At first, it seemed that he was going to refuse Ryo. Then he looked behind him before back at Ryo. "It would seem that you don't have to," the tiger growled. "Soul Death is coming to you."      And that was when Ryo heard the deep beats akin to a throbbing heart, closely bordered to a low thrumming.      Thump thump thump thump.      "What do I do?" he asked.      "Don't let Soul Death think you are frightened," Byakuen replied. "And always remember that appearances are deceptive in everything but the truest light. Your fire will burn that away and purify, remember that. Do not hesitate to use it."      "Aren't you going to-gah!" Ryo did not expect the ground to open up beneath himself, but that was what it exactly did. As he fell through, his arms shot out to grope desperately at the edge of the ground, but that had suddenly become transparent. The last thing he saw before he was engulfed by black was Byakuen looking resigned.      And while that was the last thing he saw, it was not the last thing he heard.      Thump thump thump.      The deep throbbing thrum filled the area Ryo was within. Ryo splayed his arms wide and turned them slowly as he floated aimlessly about. In his mind he was frantically trying to think of something to say. Something that, preferably, wouldn't sound lame under the circumstances. He felt something brush the back of his hand and he snatched it away.      Thump.      "How did you get the Tears in your hand like that?" a child's voice inquired curiously. Ryo blinked in surprise as a splash of colors suddenly filled the darkness. A small head, upside down, popped into his view as the colors wrapped around the tiny form. Dark brown hair surrounded the wispy features of a young boy, green eyes open in wonder, the skin a pale alabaster.      Thump.      "It was given to me," Ryo replied. He felt a weight upon his shoulders and then it disappeared as the boy launched himself upward off of where he had been perched. He dived downward in front of Ryo, twisted upright, and then drifted upward. The boy crossed his ankles and gazed thoughtfully at Ryo.      Thump.      "Would you give them to me?" he asked sweetly.      Thump.      "Why would I?"      The boy sprang forward to grab the lapels of Ryo's shirt. The shirt material bunched beneath his grip and he pushed his face towards Ryo's. "Please?" His eyes were wide with innocent inquiring, and Ryo could not find it in his heart to believe this child was wicked. Morhon had said it was not inherently evil but was only influenced by too long. Perhaps it was wisest if he instead reasoned with the child and explained what he did was wrong and why.      Thump. Thump.      "No. It would be rude of me to give you something that was gifted to me. I would break the trust of the woman who believed in me enough to grant me these tears." Ryo gave the child a stern look as he spoke.      The child, looking puzzled, released Ryo and pushed himself backwards. "I can take it from you," he said, slightly uncertain.      Thump.      "I'd rather you didn't."      "I could give you something for it!" The child look proud of himself for thinking up such a thing.      Thump.      "And how will I explain it to the lady who gave these to me? What could possibly be more precious than these Tears?"      "I could give you all sorts of treasures."      Thump.      "There is nothing more precious than a friend's trust, and all the precious treasures in the world could not replace that trust if I were to break it." Ryo glared at the boy. "Besides, you already took one that belonged to me, and stealing is wrong.'      "Not if you don't get caught," the child replied airily.      Thump.      _Not if you don't get caught.      I could give you something for it. I could give you all sorts of treasures.
_      Ryo stared thoughtfully at the child, whose gaze was now upon his hands. In his mind, he heard Morhon's words echo. The creature is not inherently evil, but it has been influenced by the evil too long. The creature was little more than a child, not understanding the meaning of trust. It wanted to help Itsue and Hisoka, but it only knew deception because of its experiences in the dark. He didn't seem to be getting through to the child. Ryo mentally shook his head; he could just keep trying.      The child stood up, the top of his head coming to Ryo's head. "Give them to me," he said again, holding his hand out.      Thump.      Is this the actual form of Soul Death? Ryo wondered. Or did it take this appearance to deceive me for deception is best played by the innocent? The creature could not understand why or how Hisoka could love anyone. It could not understand the emotions and it was curious about them. But because of its nature, it wanted to destroy it as well? That did not seem right. But one of the things that flourished in the dark during the night was the nature to manipulate, and what if its desire was not to destroy, but to maneuver events so it could understand these emotions? Understanding came only through observation after all, and what better way to observe what happens when the environment is controlled?      But was this Soul Death's true form? Something didn't add up here.      "Tell you what," Ryo began slowly, "why don't I introduce you to the lady who granted me her Tears, you could-"      He was unable to finish what he was saying because a look of terror, ingrained and borne from the memories of seeing horrors that should not exist, crossed the boy's face. "See the Lady of Darkness?" he whispered as he stared at Ryo with shock. Anger mingled with the expression. "Were I to go directly to her she would kill me!"      Ryo cocked his head and peered at the child curiously. "And do you know why?" he asked softly. The child turned from Ryo and brought his knees up to his chest. He wrapped his arms around them and his body tilted to the side. "Do you know why the Queen of the Black Dragons would kill you?" The child shrugged. "No, that doesn't work. I want you to acknowledge why yourself."      "Because I crossed her domain," the child replied softly. "I entered a realm where I was forbidden to dwell in. The shadow world is where the dead who have not allowed themselves to die completely inhabit and I played with a few from it." He added, as an afterthought, "And because I possess something that does not rightfully belong to me?" It sounded like a question he wished Ryo to rebuke. He looked hopefully at him.      Ryo nodded. "Yes, yes, and yes. You crossed Morhon's personal domain, and so you entered a realm you most certainly did not belong to. If you give the Tears back, she'd forgive you."      The boy scoffed. His terror seemed to have been forgotten in the light of Ryo's speaking kindly about Moron. "Why would she forgive me?" he asked. "She would take her revenge for my insubordination to her rules" He snored. "If I go to her it will mean my destruction."      "No it won't. She isn't that sort of person."      "She is of the darkness as easily as I am. She can take any form she desires, and if she so desires she could appear every bit as kind and innocent as I could." As the boy spoke, his voice grew deeper. He uncurled his body and straightened upward. He grabbed the front of Ryo's shirt again and pushed his face close to Ryo's. "Please?" he asked sweetly, his voice high-pitched once more. "I'll be really good. And if we don't tell the queen this, then she will never, never find out."      Ryo frowned at the boy. "I said no and I meant it," he replied as coldly as he could. He pried the boy's fingers free of his shirt.      The boy's face darkened. "Give it to me or you might regret not doing it."      It was silent. Very silent. Ryo suddenly realized that the deep throbbing hum he had been hearing was gone and had been for some time. He leaned closer to the boy to look at him, and suddenly noticed how glazed over the eyes were.      A heavy weight slammed into Ryo and threw him downward into the recesses of darkness.   
  
  
     Seiji jumped off the train station and looked around. He had not expected Ryo to meet him; what he was looking for was someone to give him a ride up to Ryo's place even if he had to hire beg or steal a vehicle. He clutched a small bag to his chest, which still ached slightly. The painkillers were starting to wear off, and he had promised Yayoi that he would take them regularly and call her every twelve hours. It had been the only way he could talk her into releasing him so soon from the hospital.      He made a direct beeline for the public phones that were latched onto a post next to the train depot. Without losing his grip upon the bag he held, he picked the phone up, dropped his yen into the coin slot, and dialed home. Yayoi wasn't home, but his grandfather was. After assuring the old man that yes, he was fine; yes, he had just taken the medication; yes, he was going to be fine; no, he wasn't feeling faint; yes, it was a stupid idea to be stabbed like that and no, it would never happen again, he left a message with his grandfather to inform Yayoi that he had called as he was supposed to.      Finished with that, Seiji began to rummage through his bag to search for the pain killers. He loathed to shove those horse-sized doses of morphine and other mixed pain killers down his throat, but he didn't need his mind to be clouded by pain. The medicine would dull his body, but hopefully his mind would be sharp for what he was going to do. He could have healed himself if he were desperate enough, but he needed the strength it would take for him to do that. He did not wish to feel vulnerable.      His hand bumped against the smooth roundness of his grandfather's prayer beads. He let the pad of his thumb caress it as a prayer for luck flitted through his mind. He went back to searching for the medication and finally found the bottle. He popped the top and stuffed two pills into his mouth. The pills caught in his throat and he choked a moment before they lodged free.      He stared morosely at the bottle in his hands. He wanted to dash it against the ground and gleefully dance over the pieces, but only his pride and self-control kept him from doing just that. He made a fist around the bottle and curled it towards his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully on his nail.      He felt . . . He felt tense. Jumpy. It was like he was anticipating something, and that something wasn't happening. He felt high-strung, restless, giddy (although that was more likely a side affect of the medication), and impatient.      Something was wrong. He could feel the wrongness of the situation resonate through his entire being. After a moment of gnawing away on his nail, Seiji sighed and dropped the bottle of pain killers into his bag. He tucked the bag under his arm and strode off the train platform to look around the small, fairly traditional, village. Some people passed with him little more than glance and he moved towards them to ask where he might be able to rent a vehicle or hire someone to drive him to Ryo's cabin.      Someone gently poked him in the shoulder for his attention. Seiji turned around. His one visible eye widened noticeably. "Shin?" he asked in disbelief. To the best of his knowledge, he had been the only one Ryo had only told of what was going on.      Shin smiled at Seiji. "Come on. Morhon told me you would be needing a ride." Seiji shook his head to clear it.      "Morhon?" Shin smiled at Seiji and gently grasped his friend's elbow.      "I will tell you everything I know while I drive us up there," he assured him.   
  
  
     Ryo was awaked by a prod in the ribs. He opened his eyes to peer into the child's. A look of mischievous deviancy marred the otherwise innocent appearance. Ryo sat upward and peered around his surroundings. They were upon the side of a hill, the ground churned and uneven. It was like a graveyard that had been uprooted. Sun-bleached white bones lay scatted. Rags of cloth were tied around a few and some rags fluttered in the breeze even as the sun glinted off dull, rusty weapons.      The smell of death though was heavy. The reek of freshly spilt blood attacked at Ryo's senses. This was a place where a battle had raged a long while ago, but it smelled as if it were only an hour ago.      Ryo felt something in him grow cold as he turned back to the child. "Where are we?" he asked.      The smug smile on the child's face grew wider. "We're in the Realm of Chaos," he said. "This is where all evil things stem from. If you think I was wicked, you haven't seen anything yet. The Lord of Chaos is not very far from here, and he believes in taking prisoners alive. And not for the sake of mercy. The beast of disorder has no patience for such a thing." The child's eyes twinkled. "Not that he has any patience for anything. Do you know of the Lord of Chaos?"      Ryo slowly stood up but did not answer. He silently told himself he was not going to give the child any satisfaction, even in answering that no, he did not know of the Lord of Chaos beyond what Morhon had told him of the aspects. She didn't say anything about any Realm of Chaos.      The child look disappointed as Ryo began to take in a wider look of his surroundings, but answered his own questions. "The Word created the universe," he said, "springing from the darkness in which the One dwelled. But from the darkness came Chaos as a result from the actions of the Word. It was the balance to everything the Word created, a monster that wish to destroy creation, for the opposition of creation is destruction. It is the only thing that the Word did not create, nor can it be destroyed by the Word for it is too powerful. Destruction is a form of Chaos, and you cannot use Chaos to destroy Chaos. Chaos took the form of a man, though it is like the darkness as it can take any or all forms, and that man, the Lord of Chaos, is here."      The child gestured widely. Ryo saw a dark line in the distance. Sounds suddenly filled his mind, of screams and weapons that crashed against one another as voices roared commands and flesh tore. Was that where the scent of blood came from? He turned from the line and the sounds stopped. "And what is the purpose of being here?" he asked softly.      The child shrugged. "You're here to give me your Tears." He pointed at Ryo's hands. "When you give them to me, I will take you back. But until you decide to give them to me, then you will remain here." The child took a step backwards as Ryo rounded on him angrily, placing all the force he could into his voice.      "I will die before I give you these!"      "Then so be it!" the child fiercely flung the words at Ryo as he sprang backwards in to the air just out of Ryo's reach. "So you will die here. But let it be known, Warrior of Virtue, that death in the Realm of Chaos _does not exist_! Your body will give up life after so much pain and suffering but life will come back to you after each time! And after you die a dozen times and come back to life a dozen times, each life and each death more painful than the last, will you then not give up the Tears to escape?"      As Ryo took another step forward, the child floated further out of reach. He tightened his hands into fists. "Then I shall die a dozen times. I will not give them to you! I made a promise to a friend never to give them to me, and that trust she placed in me may be more precious than my life!" The child snarled something. Ryo straightened his body. "You have no idea what it is like to be trusted any more than you understand the concept." He shook his head sadly. "I could teach you to if you asked me, but that is not what you are after. Come back to me and ask me for the Tears after you learn the meaning of trust and being reliable." He turned his back to the child then and began to walk away in the opposite direction of the dark line. He winced at the scream of rage behind him.      _ "So be it you fool! You have no idea what you are getting into!"_ And the child's presence, a distasteful taint of maliciousness, disappeared. Ryo stopped and gazed across the countryside. He sighed. He knew he had no idea of what he was getting into; that was what scared him the most.   
  
  


Return 


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Fourteen

     Seiji shook his head in what may have been disbelief, or perhaps amusement. Shin did not see the look on his friend's face as he was concentrating on maneuvering the dirt road without hitting the rougher potholes which jarred Seiji's wound. "Ryo," Seiji mumbled. "You numbskull. You never listen to what I have to say, do you?"      Shin smiled. He could sense the amusement in Seiji's voice. "We both know that listening was never one of Ryo's skills," he replied lightly. Seiji laughed at that, but stopped with a wince and a hand over his side.      "Neither was paying attention to detail," Seiji added.      "So what do you plan on doing?"      "I'm going to release the woman who haunts the cabin. When she is finally released from the area, her husband and daughter will have no reason to be around."      "Are you sure it will work?"      Seiji reached across the seat to pat Shin's arm. "I have no idea as to what else to do. Ryo is taking care of the evil responsible for what is happening, but that leaves what is happening left unattended. Ryo thinks that because he involved me in this mess that it is his fault for what happened. That is not true. Friends help friends no matter what. And even if we aren't friends with the woman, we should help her. We could have been friends in another place or time, and we could still be friends. What matters the most is that Ryo wanted to help her, and we want to help Ryo." He looked out the window at the passing scenery. "And whether or not it works doesn't matter. At least we can tell Ryo that we tried to help to the best of our abilities, and he would understand that."      Shin's face creased in worry. "I hope you're right," he said softly. "Dear Kami I hope you're right. I fear what will happen if you're not."   
  
  
     Morhon glared at Seiji as she stood in the middle of Ryo's cabin. She wore an apron with the words, "Kiss the cook!" scrawled in English across the front, and she looked ridiculous since the material draped on the floor before her as it was far, far too large for her tiny frame. Her arms were crossed before her, one finger tapping impatiently against her bicep. "You realize that if anything goes wrong, you will die." Her voice was soft and gentle in direct contrast with the glare.     Seiji made a helpless gesture with his hands as he faced her. "Look, you said that you don't know where Ryo is, but you sense Soul Death in your domain somewhere. If I free the ghost-"     "Aya," Morhon said. "She has a name."     "Aya-if I free Aya, then it may force Soul Death here. And if that happens, you can then do what you need to do since we place ourselves under your protection and Soul Death is likely to attack us. We could even find out what he did with Ryo." That hurt, knowing that his friend had gone after Soul Death without telling him. Seiji would have gladly gone with Ryo, even if it was just to make sure that Ryo stayed out of trouble. Something which Ryo had been unable to do; it seemed to be a talent with that young man.     "He's a big boy," Tadashi said from where he and Byakuen were nervously eyeing the slop of unrecognizable orange crud that Morhon had concocted earlier. "He is capable of making his own decision and knows what he is getting into. Besides," he looked up from the crud and stared directly at Seiji, "I will be there. I will give what help I can."     Morhon pursed her lips together and was about to bring up a protest when Seiji cut it, "I will be in full armor." He had no idea if he could transform in the spirit realm, but it was worth a try. The whole plan depended on whether or not he could, but he did not see why he shouldn't be able to. "I'm a formable fighter by those standards. You know I am."      Morhon shook her head. "I still do not like it," she said.      Shin stepped forward. "I will suit up and watch his body for outside attacks." He smiled assuredly at her. "And with you beside me, then no harm will come to his body."      "It be not his body I worry most about." Morhon unfolded her arms. "None of us-and yes, I include myself within the category-know what Soul Death is fully capable of doing, and Ryo missing has me frightened. We do not know what happened to him."      "He isn't dead," Seiji replied stiffly. "I would feel if it was so." Shin nodded his agreement.      "I feel he is alive too. But just because he is not dead does not mean he is not in trouble."      "Soul Death can tell us what happens when he shows up," Shin said.      "That is assuming he even appears. What if it is Hisoka instead who appears?"      Shin and Seiji shrugged. "He's a lackey," Seiji stated dryly, "I believe he would know what happened to Ryo as easily as Soul Death."      Morhon threw her arms up in the air in defeat. "Fine! Fine! Do as you will." She shook her head as she turned from them. "Men!" she grumbled in exasperation. She jabbed a thumb at the window where the sun was close to setting. "Best prepare yourself, Warrior of Light," she said, "for the time for your duty arrives quickly."   
  
  
    Shin, in his blue and white sub armor, looked around the small cabin. He was seated in a wooden chair that sat beside the table. Seiji was stretched out across Ryo's bed wearing his green and white sub armor; his eyes were closed. Morhon stood on a stool at the sink, washing dishes as she grumbled beneath her breath. Byakuen was curled up beside the bed, gazing at Shin with eyes filled with worry.     Tadashi had disappeared. Shin dropped his gaze to his feet. He studied the wooden floor. He remembered how he and Nasutei had scrubbed them clean while Seiji and Ryo pranced about the roof. He shifted his feet and rubbed his hands together.      "The waiting is always the hardest," Morhon's cultured voice cut in. She did not look up from where she was scouring a pan. "Go outside; walking the premises may help ease your restlessness." She paused in her scrubbing and reached for the near-by bottle of soap.   
  
  
    Twilight fell. Outside, the remaining colors of the sunset were bright layers of orange and green across the sky. In the spirit world, the only colors Seiji saw were the cold shades of gray and the bright rings of light that locked Aya into the area. He was wearing his sub armor, but the colors were muted in shades of gray as well. Tadashi, at least, was as solid as his surroundings and his muffled movements made sound just as Seiji's did.      Seiji walked all the way to the bright rings and crouched down. "These must be destroyed," he said. "They are what keeps Aya trapped here. Without them, she would leave."     Tadashi shook his head. "Aya is trapped here for a purpose of being united with her husband. He cannot cross, and she cannot leave until he does. The purpose in this plane of existence takes form of the bands of light."     "Exactly. If the bands of light are broken, she will be able to cross over to him, and when they are united, Soul Death's hold over Hisoka will dissolve."     "And what of the child?"     Seiji shook his head. "You heard Morhon. She is trapped in a child's form and mind because of the raven she is tied to. Soul Death might not be able to control her once her father and mother disappears, which she won't be able to do since she still lives."     "And how do you plan on cutting it?"      Seiji did not answer as he took a step back. He folded his arms before him. "I'm going to completely suit up," he said, "and I'm going to cast light in this area. It may or it may not burn the rings of light. If it doesn't, then I will cut through it with my no-daichi. I hope." He looked at Tadashi. "You might want to stand back," he warned as he waved him back.      Tadashi nodded and took two steps away. He peered at the rings of light as Seiji clasped his hands before him. "Tao-"      "Look out!"      Seiji, reacting to Tadashi's sudden cry, ducked. Something flew over his head with an angry squawk, the air stirring Seiji's hair. "Dammit!" He gritted his teeth and looked up.      "Do what you set out to do," Tadashi warned as he jumped before him to face the raven, as large as Byakuen and of a muted black color, wheeled around. "You need to do this before it is dark. Otherwise Hisoka will not be around. He cannot exist in the darkness of the world." Seiji sprang and sprang to the side as the raven barreled into Tadashi. As solid as the rest of the surroundings, the raven collided heavily with Tadashi.      Seiji crouched down. "Tao chi!" he cried.   
  
  
    Shin yelped as something heavy crashed into him from behind. He fell to the ground and rolled to his feet. He twisted his body and faced what crashed into him. A human-shaped beast with hair covering its body, yellow-stained tusks protruding from its mouth and claws unsheathed from curled fingers, faced Shin. It growled deeply and began to circle Shin, its wide blue eyes staring at him hungrily. Shin had a bad feeling that this was going to hurt. The creature lashed out suddenly and raked its claws against Shin's face before he could react against it.      The skin parted like butter under a hot knife and blood spurted forth.      He leapt backwards. "Tao Shin!" he called out even as Byakuen bound around the cabin and launched himself with a snarl at the creature as it lashed out with its claws at Shin again.      Inside the cabin. Morhon sat down on the bed beside Seiji's side. She patted his still arm. "Everything is coming to head," she said. She frowned. "Tadashi," she called, "you watch the boy like you promised to."   
  
  
    "Easier said than done," Tadashi grumbled as he struggled to hold the raven down. It cawed its protest and flapped its wings, lifting up in the air to strike at the fully-armored Seiji. Seiji ducked as the raven flew back, claws extended where Tadashi was clutching desperately at. Seiji, on his knees, swung his no-daichi. The sword struck against the rings of light and bounced off. A tendril of smoke drifted off it.     Tadashi twisted his body and flung his weight to the side. The raven off-balance, missed Seiji's head and crashed into the ground. Tadashi released his grip and tumbled free. He pounced upon the raven as it tried to lift itself into the air.     As Seiji struck against the rings of light, a deep throbbing thrum began to fill the air.   
  
  
     Shin pulled his weapon free and crouched down, looking for an opening as Byakuen wrestled with the creature. The tiger snarled and slashed his claws at the creature, tearing the furred flesh open.     Thump.     Shin stiffened at the sound.     Thump. Thump.      A scream rose from the woods.     Thump.      A young boy dropped from out of nowhere to face Shin. "You're my opponent," he said excitedly. Shin stared at the child with shock and disgust, the sound of Byakuen snarling and struggling with the creature loud in his hearing.      "I will not fight you!" he exclaimed, taking a step toward Byakuen to help the tiger.      The excitement on the child's face disappeared as the eyes narrowed and the mouth opened in a sadistic smile. "If not me, then for your life," he whispered. He flung an arm down and the ground beneath Shin exploded upward.   
  
_ And so _  
  
    Seiji jumped to the side as the raven screamed past him. How much time? he wondered as he saw, in the corner of his eye, Aya appear. Her face was scrunched up in terror and sadness as she stared at him.     "What are you doing?" she screamed. "It's here! Get away before you die! It will kill you!" She looked frantically around. Beyond the rings, Seiji could see Byakuen struggling with one of the ugliest beasts he had ever seen and Shin arguing with a great cloud of black. Seiji stared at it. The cloud of deep black hung over the ground and throbbed with each deep thrum. Within the deep recesses of the cloud was a tiny spark of bright colors that mixed and swirled within one another.     Seiji turned his eyes to Aya, at the bright rings of light, and then at the raven as it whirled around and hovered in the air for a moment, its wings flapping fiercely. Soul death . . . Was this how the others saw it? How Morhon saw it? How could Ryo have been deceived by that? Seiji straightened up slowly and held the sword out, the tip pointing directly at the raven. The raven screamed and plunged at Seiji.     Tadashi, as if sensing what was going to happen, released his grip and fell through the air.   
  
_ it is _  
  
    Shin's body convulsed as the ground beneath him buckled and shot upward. Off-balanced, he fell off the tiny mountain of dirt and rock. Blood from his facial wound and dirt mixed and mingled to settle on his eyes and temporarily blinded him. He rolled to the side as blackness exploded from the ground in the form of a stream of liquid and shot at him. Sensing something amiss though he still could not see past the bloody and dirty veil of stinging pain, he jumped backwards. The stream of blackness hit the spot where he had been and disappeared. The ground crumbled away into nothing. The child laughed wildly and gestured again.     Shin pointed his trident at the direction of the laugh.   
  
_ my _  
  
    Light exploded, more brighter than Seiji had ever seen it before as he activated his attack. Perhaps it was because the surroundings were drab and murky. Seiji knew he shouldn't, but he turned his eyes from the brightness and closed them as the light streamed outward. If it did not work, he would not be ready for an attack. He began to recite the prayers his grandfather had taught him. His voice, steady with the prayer, filled the light surroundings. As if reacting to the power of the prayer, the light brightened.     The raven screamed and Aya cried out as if in pain.   
  
  
    Shin fell to one knee, pointed his trident at the direction he felt the flow of danger, and yelled his attack. The stream of water hit the child directly in the face. The child cried out in surprise as he was pushed backwards by the attack's force. The creature Byakuen was fighting was startled from the water and Byakuen took the chance to sink his teeth directly in its neck and savagely shake his great head back and forth, flesh ripping beneath the razor-sharp incisors.   
  
_ turn! _  
  
     The child pushed himself free of the stream of water and jumped to his feet, his features twisted in rage. He rushed forward at Shin. Shin readied himself for another attack, rubbing his eyes and blinking rapidly to clear his vision, but Morhon appeared suddenly before him and grabbed the child around the waist as he practically flew into her arms.      The rage on the child's face turned to terror as Morhon's arms tightened and they descended into a hole of darkness that materialized beneath them. "Please! No! I beg you! Have mercy on me my queen!" His voice disappeared as the hole faded from view. Byakuen, with one last shake of his head, tore the creature's head from its shoulders.      The creature's decapitated body fell forward and deteriorated into dust. Byakuen snorted and licked his chomps.   
  
  
     The raven, along with the rings of light, was burned away from the sudden mighty wave of radiance. Seiji fell to his knees and stared in wonder as his surroundings began to glow golden. Hisoka appeared from nowhere. His face was full of shock as he stared across the distance at his wife. Aya looked from the spot where the circles of light had been, and then at Hisoka. She stepped across where the barrier had been and then ran to Hisoka, openly sobbing.      Hisoka's expression did not change when Aya threw herself into his grasp. His arms tightened around her, and for the first time in fifty years, he held the woman he loved more than life itself. He bowed his head and kissed the top of Aya's head. A tear fell down his face and he looked at Seiji.      "Thank you," he whispered as they began to fade away. "You have no idea how much this means to me." The couple continued to hold one another until they had completely disappeared, gone at last to where spirits that did not linger went. A raven screamed, but the sound was cut off with a sharp squeak.      A little girl began to whimper.   
  
  
    Seiji stumbled from the cabin. Shin sat with his back against a tree facing the cabin, his legs folded beneath himself as he held a small figure that shook with heart-wrenching sobs. Byakuen crouched down beside him, licking his bloody claws to clean them. Behind Seiji appeared Tadashi. Seiji walked over to Shin. He recognized the small figure as Itsue. Her arms were tangled around Shin's hair and her face was buried in the crook of his neck.      Shin's eyes were shadowed and fresh slash marks lay angrily across one side of his face, blood covering half of his face and neck and even now continued to slowly drip on his shirt, but the red streaks on the other side of his face told Seiji that he had been crying.     Seiji stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. He stared silently at Shin. "It's done," he said finally. "Hisoka's and Aya's missions and purposes have been fulfilled. They are gone forever."     Shin nodded but said nothing.     Seiji leaned against the tree. He sank down to the ground beside Shin. Tadashi drifted over to Byakuen's side and he dropped down beside the tiger. The only sound made amongst the group of people was Itsue's sobbing. After a while, the sobs faded into silence, broken only by hiccups.     Night settled and the shadows of twilight turned into darkness. From the deepest darkness Morhon emerged. She nervously bit her bottom lip as she peered at the people and tiger before her. "Soul Death is chained," she said finally. "It will not be released until such a time comes when I deem it purified."     "Is Soul Death truly a child?" Shin asked suddenly. Seiji glanced sharply at his friend.     Morhon shook her head. "I know it pains you to have to strike against a child, but Soul Death took the form to confuse and lure you into underestimating it. I fear that was Ryo's mistake. He did not take it seriously enough, and is paying dearly for his mistake now. Soul Death is young compared to myself and other immortal beings who saw the Word spoken."     "Where is Ryo?" Seiji wondered.     Morhon hesitated before she answered. "I cannot honestly say."     "What?" Seiji's body tensed. He took a breath to calm himself as he saw Morhon cringe at the fierceness in his voice and her face scrunched up as if she would burst into tears.     "Soul Death refuses to tell me where it did with Ryo. All it said is that Ryo is no longer within this realm of existence."     "What does he mean by that? Can't you make him tell?"     "I cannot," Morhon replied. "It was crying as I chained it and it broke my heart to. Even though it has done terrible things, it did so because it could not understand the difference between our definitions of good and evil. I could not force it to speak because I would have to do terrible, terrible things, and it would not help our cause in it learning the difference between good and evil."     She wrung her hands and plopped down on the ground. "There are four realms of existence, disallowing for the planes stacked upon one another as dimensions. This is the Realm of Reality, where science and reason is the master. Magic may exist, but only by flowing from the Realm of Fantasy, which is where all that which does not follow the rules of science exists. These are the states of sanity and reason in which the mind exists. The Realms of Chaos and Order are the emotional states. We exist within the Realm of Reality. Ryo does not. That leaves the Realms of Chaos and Fantasy as Soul Death cannot access the Realm of Order anymore than I can." Tears appeared. "Neither one is a good place to be. Ryo's powers may stem from the Realm of Fantasy, but he was born as a creature of reason within this Realm. His virtue is that of Order, and Chaos dos not take kindly to Order."     "If Soul Death does not tell, then how will you find Ryo?" Shin wondered as Itsue stirred in his arms.     "I'm sorry," she said, whimpering softly.     "It is not your fault," Shin replied as his arms tightened protectively around her small form. She sniffed as Morhon smiled assuredly at her.      "Nay, 'tis not your fault," Morhon agreed. "Hope takes place in two forms though. Should Ryo use the power of the Tears I gave him, I will sense it and go immediately to where he is at. Also, there are powerful beings who exist in both Realms. The Angel Seraph is the One's general and commander of the Heavenly Hosts. The Angel Seraph is currently abiding within the Realm of Fantasy and as a being of harmony, it will sense Ryo almost immediately. The Eternal Phoenix is also a creature of order, and both she and the Chief Magistrate-both of whom live in the Realm of Chaos-will not allow Ryo to stay in the Realm if he is there and they find him. There is no doubt any of these three will find him though one way or another, and they will send him back to the Realm of Reality immediately."     "What if he dies?" Seiji asked. "What then?"      Morhon shook her head sadly as Byakuen lifted his head to peer at her. "Ryo knew that he might not come out of this alive and he accepted it. He accepted he was going to die when he was sacrificed to the sea. We must accept that he did. And if he dies, then we will know too. But for now he is alive, and as long as he is alive, there is hope. There is one good thing about his winding up in the Realm of Chaos should he have been there, and that is he cannot die. Chaos will not allow freedom and sublimity, for those are forms of Order in a appearance of death. And if he winds up in the Realm of Fantasy, using the Tears will come easy to him without his knowing it."     "He is alive," Tadashi said, "and that is enough for now."   
  
  


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	15. Chapter Fifteen

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Fifteen

     Ryo searched endlessly for food his second day in the Realm of Chaos. Once outside the plains, he had entered a forested area. The trees were twisted as if they grew in pain and the scent of rancid flesh hung in the air. He stumbled over the roots of one tree that grew low to the ground, its branches curled within itself. It wasn't until the tree stood up and chased after him did he began to pay a very special attention to his surroundings, wary of even the forest's stubby undergrowth.      A week of existing in the Realm of Chaos without a thing to eat or drink, and Ryo died for the first time. He found himself lying where he had fallen on his face amongst tangled bushes, as robust and as healthy as the moment Soul Death had thrust him in the Realm to begin with. Realizing that he didn't want to starve again, his stomach cramping from hunger and driving him almost insane with pain and emptiness, he began to randomly eat plants. If he died from poisoning, he made a mental note not to eat it again.      Dying twelve times over from trying out more than seventy-two plants (and nearly being eaten himself by two others), he believed he found a variety to live off. Worse off none but for the memories of what it was like being poisoned (the symptoms ranging anywhere from frothing at the mouth to vomiting blood until he choked and died to breaking into a fever as his body was wracked with contortions until he died of seizures), at least he now wouldn't have to worry about starving to death.      He wandered aimlessly through the forest, looking for civilization. The weather temperature, at least, was mild during the day and only marginally cool during the night. It rained a few times, but the rain, at least, was not like acid as Ryo believed possible in such a place. On the fourteen day, Ryo tripped over a thick vine which broke easily in half. Some of its sap spilled across the back of his hand and it burned like acid, leaving behind an open sore that refused to heal.      He stumbled across a camp in the darkness in the middle of his third week, but two dogs keeping guard leapt upon him and tore him apart, killing him a fourteenth time. He came to in the camp later; the people and dogs left an undeterminable time ago. He rummaged through the garbage that was left behind, coming up with a tunic and pants that were two sizes too big but in much better shape than his own torn and ragged clothing.      Two days afterward, he was caught unaware by a group of bandits who sent Ryo to a fifteenth death through the means of surprise and very sharp weapons, and left his body stripped in the bushes. After he came to, he sullenly roamed the countryside in his sub armor.      No matter how bad things got and no matter how many times he died, Ryo refused to give Soul Death the satisfaction of giving up and calling the child forward to give up the Tears Morhon entrusted him with. He refused to let himself be overcome by fear and despair. When night feel and he huddled against the sides of trees, he would peer up at the stars. It never ceased to amaze him how alike they were from the stars at home. Some of the constellations were that of home as well, and he took a great hope in realizing thus.      Ryo kept careful track of the days that passed and talked to himself whenever he missed the sound of voices. He avoided acting as if one of his friends sat before him and listened to what he had to say; it hurt too much. Instead, he would verbally act out memories and recite poems and stories he remembered.      Four and a half months after he was thrust into the realm, Ryo stumbled across a random plain in the middle of the forest. Bodies lay in scattered heaps. Many were slashed open or missing body parts. It was not a fresh battle and the stench of decay was so great that even two miles from it made Ryo vomit. He skirted around the edges the best he could, trying to stay way from the scent. He found the bodies of scouts though, slain by arrows.      Feeling slightly guilty, he unburdened the bodies of their clothes and for the first time in more than two months, Ryo dropped his armor. As he pulled a jerkin over his head, a black shape silently descended from the tree tops where it had been watching him. Ryo did not even see the monster that sliced him in half with one swipe of its humongous paw.      When he came to for a seventeenth life, Ryo angrily gritted his teeth and went back to wearing his sub armor. Still feeling naked in it as he wandered the country side, he clad himself within a jerkin that covered his arms up to his elbows and came down to his knees. After a moment's consideration, he divested another body of its pair of short swords and slung the sheathed swords on the cinched belt he wore.      When he was attacked by a group of wolves twice the size of any other wolf he had ever seen, with red glowing eyes and acid-tinged saliva, Ryo gleefully fell into a slaughtering rage. He took out his frustration of all that had happened to him on the animals. As he stood panting amongst the bodies, a bloodied sword in each hand, the realization of his actions struck him like a ton of rocks. He dropped the swords and dashed away from the scene.      Tears streamed down his face as he ran through the thinning woods. His heart clenched within his chest as he heaved for breath. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be where other people were, eat hot foods, take hot baths, talk to someone in a civilized manner, and not worry about what was going to jump out at him from some unseen spot and kill him again. And again. And again. He wanted to see faces that smiled at him. He wanted to be in a familiar world where he could handle unexpected things like Byakuen playfully pouncing on him from behind a door or the food burned on the stove.      At the thought of his tiger, a sob escaped from his frame. The lonely ache within him grew by leaps and bounds. Ryo tried to remember Seiji, but the blonde hair and delicately structured face did not appear in his mind. He tried to recall the face of Shuu, but all he got was a blur of dark hair and the echo of a hearty laugh.      Ryo stumbled and fell to the forest floor. He did not get up but curled his body into a tight ball. He wrapped his arms around himself and thrust his knees up close to his chest. He could not remember the faces of his friends.      He could not remember the faces of his friends!      Ryo had thought he knew what despair was when Arago had slaughtered the others. He thought he understood what helplessness was when he lost control of his armor and was forced through a portal into Africa.      But those were nothing compared to this soul-wrenching grief that filled him. He felt empty and frightened beyond anything he had ever felt. Anguish became the center of the world and the heavy pain that throbbed each time his heart beat in his chest haunted him as he struggled to remember his friends.      A tear landed on the back of his hand and he opened his eyes to see the pinpricks of light buried within the backs of both hands. Black and red winked at him. Ryo closed his eyes and refused to move. Three days later, and he died the seventeenth time from the soul-eating grief.      His awakening back to life was different from the other times. Originally, he would wake up as if he had been sleeping and was aware of his surroundings before he realized he was alive, but this time, he was asleep and knew he was alive again. It was in this sleep did he dream of his friends. Seiji was sitting in Nasutei's kitchen, drinking a cup of tea. The image was almost real enough for Ryo to mistake it for being the actual thing.      It was followed by an image of Shuu and Shin wrestling over a hamburger, then by child-Jun seated upon Byakuen. Touma was pointing to the night sky and Nasutei tapped away at her computer, peering every now and then at the neat pile of notes that sat at her elbow. The last image he saw before awakening was Shin rising from the depths of the ocean, dressed in his sub armor, to take Ryo into his arms and descend downward.      Ryo opened his eyes. The images remained bright and clear in his mind, burned into sharp clarity. He sat upright and wiped a hand across his face. The anguish, while it still existed, had been blunted. A tiny spark of hope formed within his mind. He could see his friends again. He would see his friends again. He climbed back onto his feet and resumed his walking.   
  
  
     Six months since Ryo was thrust into the Realm of Chaos, he saw beauty for the first time. The forest, dark and twisted as if the trees suffered from nightmares, their branches like claws reaching endlessly for help, ended abruptly at a field of tall golden wheat that grew to his chest. Behind him the forest stretched to border the field, but the field itself extended as far as he could see in the other three directions The sun was setting in the west and the dying rays bathed the golden field in splashes of rosy red shades. Ryo slumped against the rough back of one tree and stared with tears in his eyes until the sun finally set.      The bright colors were so vastly different from that of the forest's. The muted grays and browns and greens were dismal and depressing compared to this show of nature's finest. He felt his heart grow and a heavy weight, something he had noticed before but never realized the immensity of, dropped from his shoulders. As night fell, he collapsed backwards on the ground and stared up at the skies, counting the shooting stars and made wildly amusing wishes, until he fell asleep.      The next morning dawned as bright and as colorful as the sunset had been. Ryo felt as if he had been reborn an eighteenth time (indeed, he would hardly be surprised!) as he strode through the field of wheat. He found himself whistling cheerfully and a slight skip appeared in his steps. His eyes wandered across his surroundings, drinking in all he saw. A bird from somewhere he didn't see sang in happiness.      A road, cutting directly through the field of wheat, appeared. Ryo had not noticed until he stepped out of the wheat onto the road itself and a few moments passed before it occurred to him that wheat was no longer snagging at his ragged clothes. He stared at the road for a long moment and chose a random direction to follow.      The long months of wearing his armor and wandering the forest had hardened him. He had stamina he had not possessed before and his body moved quickly and easily despite the heat of the day. His senses had sharpened greatly as well. He could hear things more clearer than before and his eyesight seemed somewhat sharper. But he could easily give all that up if it meant he could go back to his old life, having never been in the Realm of Chaos.      He heard voices long before he actually saw anyone. He noticed a pair of figures that stood head to head and argued with one another. He watched them for a while, puzzled. It had been so long since he had seen humans (discounting the bandits who had killed him and those dead bodies that littered the plains). Their hands pointed, gestured, and waved and Ryo guessed that they were arguing about which direction to head in. They stood in the middle of a crossing where the road Ryo was following was cut over by another road. He crept closer and studied the two.      One of the two figures was a man with brilliant mass of red curls. He was dressed in plain black clothes and he moved gracefully. Ryo watched his easy movements. They were not as explosive as the other person's, but rather far more controlled. This was a fighter; he saw that immediately. When the man shifted his weight from one foot to another, he appeared as young as Ryo and his side profile looked as open and as innocent's a child's.      A frown marred Ryo's features as he remembered the innocence Soul Death had possessed. He sternly reminded himself not to be deceived by appearances, and just because these two persons had not noticed him did not mean they would merrily kill him on the spot.      The second person was a woman with hair as dark as the midnight sky which was pulled back into two pigtails on either side of her head. She was shorter than the man, but the resemblance between the two was that of a brother and a sister. She wore a tang top and a flowing pair of pants. What flesh bared on her arms and neck was covered with bronze-colored rune-like tattoos.      As Ryo clasped his hands behind his back, the man and woman suddenly froze. Their heads turned and they eyed Ryo silently. Surprise at seeing him was etched into their features as well as annoyance and anger. The woman snarled something at Ryo. The language she spoke was a harsh mash of sounds that sounded something akin to English. They both raked his armor with scathing looks.      Ryo blinked and spread his arms wide, wondering if this was to be his eighteenth death. After so many others, it didn't seem to matter to him whether or not he died. "I do not understand you," he said, mustering the friendliest tone into his voice as possible and letting his eyes blink with innocence.      "No," said the man suddenly, "but we can." He nodded his head at the woman, who glared at him. "My sister wishes to know who you are staring at. Excuse her behavior, it's that time of the month." The woman must have known about what he was talking about because she suddenly and viciously kicked him in the shin He pouted. Ryo could guess who the older of the two siblings was.      Ryo shrugged. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Maybe it is because you are the first people I've seen in so many weeks."      "Where are you from?" The man crossed his arms before his chest and looked thoughtfully at Ryo with jade-green eyes, the exact color of the woman's. Ryo shrugged and looked quickly around before his eyes settled upon the man.      "Certainly not from around here," he said. "Japan, if there is any such place as this."      Eyebrows shot upward in surprise. "Japan?" The man coughed. "Is that the Realm of Reality?"      Ryo shrugged again. "I don't understand. It's on Earth, if that is helpful . . ."      The man shrugged. "You are a very long way from home. How in the name of bloody chaos did you get from there to here?"      "Did you fall through an opening?" the woman asked. She appeared curious now rather than annoyed and angry.      Ryo shook his head, not understanding what they meant by an opening. "Someone put me here because I refused to break a friend's trust. He was quite angry with me." He shrugged again. "He said he would take me back home if I were to give up and give him what he wanted, but I refused to."      "Must be some friend," the woman said. "How long have you been in the Realm of Chaos?"      It took a moment for Ryo to calculate the answer. "About a hundred and eighty days." Give or take a few; he wasn't sure how much time passed when he died. Both the woman and the man flinched and cursed in the language they had been speaking earlier.      The woman turned to the man and said something to him. The man shook his head and answered. Words passed between them for a few more moments before the woman turned to Ryo. "Who was it who brought you here to begin with?"      "Well, he doesn't have a name. And actually, he's an it. Morhon called it Soul Death."      The woman frowned. "Who is Morhon?"      "The woman whose trust I refused to break. She's the Black Dragon Queen."      The two figures exchanged puzzled looks. "I assume that if she's a dragon and she's a queen," the woman said softly, "that she must be pretty important."      "Mama would know," the man replied.      "I think it is easier jut to take this guy to the Chief Magistrate and let him take care of the matter."      They looked at Ryo. The man tilted his head to the side and blinked thoughtfully. "I just thought of something," he said suddenly, "is this Black Dragon Queen of any relationship with the Gold Dragon Queen?"      Ryo blinked. "Well, Morhon is the immortal queen of the shadows and the Gold Dragon Queen is the immortal queen of light. I guess that would be a relationship of some sort."      The siblings exchanged looks. The woman looked over her shoulder across the golden fields of wheat. "The Chief Magistrate treads carefully with the neutral immortals," she said. She gave Ryo a "come-hither" motion with her hand and she and the man started to run down the road.      "What?" Ryo hurried after them.      "We're taking you to the Chief Magistrate of Chaos to take care of these matters. He's likely to know what to do," said the man.      "No doubt he'll send you home, but he would want to know how you got here anyway."      Hope exploded within Ryo as it never had before. Home? He would be sent home? He eagerly followed the pair.      "So how many times did you die?" the woman asked. "Oh, my name is Molly."      "My name is Ryo."      "I'm Rufus," the man said over his shoulder.      "Well, I died seventeen times. How did you know that I died?"      "It's a given to anyone in this Realm," said Rufus, "except for the higher level demons and the Lord of Chaos. So you died seventeen times to keep a friend's trust?"      "Well, I broke it once before and I did not cherish the thought of doing it a second time."      "Given the circumstances, I think her majesty would have made you give up the Tears versus staying here."      Ryo shrugged. "I made my decision. If Morhon entrusts something precious to my keeping, something rare and powerful and destructive in the wrong hands, then it is my duty to protect it."      "Ah."      Molly fell to pace beside Ryo as they ran down the road. "You've got no problem keeping up?" she asked. Ryo shook his head. She poked Rufus with an extended hand. "Let's pick the pace up here a bit, will you?"      Their strides lengthened and their speed increased until they were practically flying across the ground. They shot by the wheat, their surroundings becoming a golden, inextinguishable blur. Rufus and Molly did not say a thing about Ryo's ability to keep up, but Ryo saw Molly look pleasantly surprised.      "What's the hurry?" Ryo called.      Molly's arms were spread wide for her to keep her balance as Rufus, bent at an angle, rushed ahead of them by mere steps. One trip-up on either of their parts and they would fall with enough speed and force to break several bones. Ryo knew he could be protected by his armor, but if Rufus ahead of him fell and he tripped over the lad, Rufus would be hurt severely. He edged over to the side.      "It's because-"      "No." Molly's voice cut off Rufus'. "We'll let Grandfather tell him."      "Grandfather?"      Rufus answered. "The Chief Magistrate is our mother's grandfather." His cape fluttered outward behind him like a pair of graceful black wings.      In the distance, the looming black shape slowly became larger until Ryo could see its outline sharply. It was a castle, its property surrounded by a high wall of black granite. They were quickly approaching the castle wall.      "Do you think you can jump the wall?" Rufus called.      Ryo eyed it. "I shouldn't have a problem."      "Good. Follow us." Rufus somehow managed to run faster than what they were already dashing. He quickly pulled away from Ryo. As he reached the walls, he sprang up through the air. The speed he had mustered was enough for him to sail directly to the top. His fingers brushed against the edge of the top and he twisted his body so he landed flat-footed on the top. Molly dropped back a step to be with equal pace as Ryo.      "Easy does it," she chirped cheerfully. They launched off the ground together. They didn't have the speed as Rufus had and both scrambled for a hold as they hit the wall. The woman scampered up the side with the ease of one who had done this so many times over. Rufus grabbed Ryo's hand and pulled him to the top. Both siblings started off at an easy jog down the wall. The wall was much higher than Ryo had realized and it was easy as wide as he was tall. Rufus and Molly jogged down the length of the wall as it ran along the side of the castle, separated only by the courtyards. Not a soul stirred.      Ryo hurried to catch up with the two. Their easy jog was immensely slower than the dizzy speed they had been scurrying at earlier. They finally stopped where the wall dipped in and came to the side of the castle. An window was open above their heads. Rufus pointed at it.      "If we were to jump, could you follow?"      Ryo eyed it. It wasn't nearly as tall was the wall. "Yes," he said with certainty.      "Great." Rufus bent his knees. "Saves us from having to march through the castle itself." He leapt through the air and went through the window. They heard the clatter of his hitting the floor. Molly gestured at Ryo to go next. He jumped and grabbed the sill. He pulled his body through and stepped off the side.      Rufus was standing before someone swathed in flowing scarlet robes cinched at the waist with a wide black cloth belt. The person had the whitest skin Ryo had ever seen with hair whiter than driven snow surrounding a face whose expression was open and willing. ". . . the field. He's from the Realm of Reality, brought here by someone who has a grudge against him for not breaking a trust in the Black Dragon Queen," Rufus was saying. Molly landed with a thump beside Ryo as she came through the window.      The person turned from Rufus to look at Ryo. Ryo found himself staring with surprise at the youthful features of someone who couldn't have been older than twelve. At least he did not appear innocent. At his forehead, suspended against his skin against all ration purposes, was a crystal shard so deep and so black the light disappeared into its depths. It rotated in a lazy circle. Ryo felt his very nature balking against the crystal. This is their grandfather? he wondered.      "What was the grudge?" the albino asked, and Ryo jumped. A voice, deep and powerful, flowed from the lithe frame. He quelled the urge to drop at the man's feet and grovel. The man's friendly and open expression helped calm it.      "It . . ." Ryo extended his hands forward. "It's because of these." The Tears glittered in the light. "They're the Black Dragon Queen's Tears. They were entrusted to my keeping and the creature that brought me here tried to take them from me. He said that when I gave them up, he would take me back. Morhon gave me another Tear, and I had already lost that to him and I couldn't bring myself to accept the idea of giving the Tears to Soul Death." He shrugged helplessly as the man took Ryo's left hand into his own and peered at the Tear with eyes as red as Ryo's armor. "I will not give that creature the pleasure of letting him know I gave up in this hellish land."      The Chief Magistrate of the Realm of Chaos looked up from where he had been examining Ryo's hand. A bright smile lit up his features. "It is Hell," he said cheerfully. Ryo blinked at him. "Granted, it may not be the Hell you are accustomed to being told existed, but hell is where misery lives and commands the reality, and so it is that this is hell." The Chief Magistrate waved Rufus and Molly away. "Leave us. I wish to speak with this man in private."      His great-grandchildren nodded and sauntered off to a doorway to their left.      "Oh, and children?" Rufus and Molly stopped. The Chief Magistrate sat down behind a desk that Ryo had not seen earlier. "Don't jump through the windows like that; you'll give this poor old man a heart attack."      Molly snorted and wrinkled her nose at that as Rufus burst out laughing. They left the room. Their voices rose as they began to discuss what to have for lunch, but those soon faded away into the smallest of echoes.      Ryo looked at the Chief Magistrate, who was stroking a white skull that sat on the desk to his right. It was the skull of an animal that had a long snout, powerful jaws, and very sharp teeth. Ryo stared at the skull and the slim fingers before wrenching his gaze away to look at the Chief Magistrate.      The albino was watching Ryo with eyes filled with a vicious cunning. Ryo felt clumsy and awkward, standing before the man in the room that, for all it's bareness by possessing only a cloak rack, the desk, and a chair, was elegant because of the smooth black granite and curved corners. The Chief Magistrate sighed and leaned back against his chair, folding his fingers before himself.      Ryo's heightened senses felt the vibrant energy of the man. He marveled at the idea of anyone being old enough to be a great-grandfather of two adults and yet still retained what seemed to be a youthful vigor.      The red eyes opened and studied Ryo. "I will not ask how many times you died," the man said suddenly. Ryo blinked at the words. "I see it in your face and in your movements the pain of living and dying and the knowledge of being caught forever in this never-ending cycle." He leaned forward as his hand dropped back to the skull and caressed it. "Come." He beckoned Ryo near. He pointed at a spot on the floor right before him. Ryo walked around the desk and stood before the Chief Magistrate. The man stood up and placed his hands on Ryo's shoulders. "Kneel," he said.      Ryo's eyes fell upon the black crystal shard that floated against the white forehead. It drew his fascination, as if it held secrets he would learn if he watched it for a while. Yet looking at it made him feel dirty and repulsive. He felt pressure against his shoulders, but he ignored that as he continued to stare at the crystal.      The Chief Magistrate leaned against Ryo, his lips brushing against Ryo's ear. "Child," he whispered, "leave off your interest of the Black Orb for now." The voice cut threw the numbness that filled Ryo's mind. He dropped suddenly to his knees and the Chief Magistrate pressed a cool hand against Ryo's forehead.      Every thought, ever action, ever feeling rose to the surface of his conscience. Memories from the time he was in his mother's womb-a dark, warm area where he had lived for nine months, growing from a single cell to a complex life form-the painful birth, his childhood, his teenage years, his adulthood. Every waking and sleeping moment from the very beginning of his existence was relived, things that he had no concept of even experiencing much less happening to him, as the Chief Magistrate ransacked through his mind, gathering what information he needed.      The albino stepped away from Ryo, dropping his hand. Ryo blinked in confusion as he tried to understand what just happened. The Chief Magistrate sighed and sat down. He crossed his legs and closed his eyes in thoughtfulness. One hand dropped to the skull. Ryo rubbed his eyes and peered at the Chief Magistrate.      "What happened?" he asked.      "Hmm?" The Chief Magistrate opened his eyes. They were no longer bright red, but a dark crimson, like the color of blood. The vicious cunning of his eyes merged with a hunger akin to that of a dangerously insane predator. Ryo flinched back from it. The Chief Magistrate picked the skull up and cradled it close to his chest. He gave Ryo a brutal smile. "If there is one thing I cannot stand, it is the kinds crossing borders through unnatural means. I cannot abide it when I am used. I do not allow it."      He stood up suddenly and stepped around Ryo. "Come. We will take you home." Ryo stumbled to his feet and followed after the crimson robes. He weaved drunkenly on his feet, unsteady from the invasion of his mind from end to end.      "Home?" The plaintive note in his voice caused the Chief Magistrate to glance over his shoulder at Ryo. The Trooper smiled. "Really? I will be going home?" He stumbled forward. The Chief Magistrate, without pause, shifted the skull from one hand to the other and, with his free hand, grabbed Ryo around the shoulders to steady him.      "You do not belong here, child of benevolence," the albino said softly, "the Angel Seraph would have a fit if she learned you were in my Realm and I did nothing to resolve the situation." The Chief Magistrate walked swiftly through the hall, half-carrying half-dragging Ryo in pace with him. After a few moments, Ryo gained enough of his balance for the Chief Magistrate to stop helping him.      The Chief Magistrate led Ryo into a room where Molly and Rufus were seated at a table, eating cookies. They froze as the Chief Magistrate and Ryo entered to the room.      "Take him to Ilene," the Chief Magistrate said, "I command that she takes the boy home. I have . . . things to take care of." His last few words, spoken with a deep malice, sent a shiver down Ryo's spine. With the swirl of his crimson robes, the Chief Magistrate left the room. A smoldering weight of disorder followed after him, leaving Ryo with a mind so clear it was as if he was floating in mid-air.      "Who's Ilene?" Ryo asked as Rufus and Molly stood up.      "Have a cookie?" Molly offered Ryo. He accepted it and delicately nibbled at the edge. It tasted like oatmeal. "Ilene is our great-grandmother. Grandfather seduced her."      Rufus placed his hand at the base of Ryo's back and steered him to a door on the other side of the room. "Ilene is the Eternal Phoenix. She is the counter-part to the Lord of Chaos. She travels effortlessly through the Realms if she so desires and will know where to take you to bring you home."      "Yes." Ryo's heart sang at the idea of seeing his friends at last. They entered another hallway. Ryo was led through twisting halls and rooms until they finally reached a mirror sat against a wall in a small room bare of anything else. Rufus turned to Ryo.      "I'm only going to say this once," he said in a near-whisper, "and I do so because you are a creature of order and this is the Realm of Chaos. We left you in that room with the Chief of Magistrate. You came out of it with the Lord of Chaos. Whatever you did to provoke him past the form created from the Angel Seraph's split, I do not care to know. The Chief Magistrate by and of himself is a person you should dance carefully with. But the beast of disorder, you do not ever want to fight against him. He will destroy you on a single whim." Rufus' eyes bore into Ryo's. "Beware he who wears a dragon skull for a helmet. The Lord of Chaos is an ancient, necessary evil you cannot hope to defeat or even escape."      Rufus turned from Ryo then and pressed a hand against the mirror. He spoke something in the language he and Molly had been arguing in when Ryo first met them. The mirror shimmered and Rufus' hand melted through it.      Rufus clamped a hand on Ryo's arm and Molly shoved Ryo from behind. They pulled and pushed him through the mirror. On the other side of it they stood in a hallway of a wooden building. There was a small table to the side of the mirror they came through, a white vase of tulips sitting in the middle on a round piece of lace.      As Rufus and Molly, still pulling and pushing, led Ryo down the hallway to the room that opened outward at the end, Ryo could see the feminine touch that brightened the place up. It was filled with a matronly warmth that beckoned Ryo into a lulled state of relaxation. The walls were covered with pictures, most of which were childish drawings addressed to, "Mama," and "Gramma." Flowers and quaint little colleges with curly trails of smoke and stick figures decorated the white paper.      They entered the room at the very end of the hallway. A woman with a head of short fuzzy red hair clad in a cream-white vest tucked into a pair of loose pants two shades darker than the vest had her back to them. Her hands, slim and graceful, were arranging flowers in a vase that stood before her.      "Grandmother?" Molly asked softly as she stopped at the woman's back. The woman tilted her head to the side, but other than that movement, she gave no indication of being aware of their presence. "We bring a command from Grandfather." The woman turned then and gazed at her great-granddaughter.      Her bearing was regal and her wide blue eyes over a slightly upturned nose were set in the most delicately beautiful face Ryo had ever seen. He gulped and thought he could see why the Chief Magistrate would seduce the woman.      "The Chief Magistrate commands you to take this man to where he lives in the Realm of Reality," Molly said, pointing at Ryo. The woman blinked her long eyelashes at Ryo. "He has been in the Realm of Chaos for half a year."      "Ah. Pity." Her voice was musical and lilting. She walked over to Ryo. As she drew close, Ryo realized that her hair was not hair, but soft feather down. The vest was the only thing that covered the upper part of her body. It dipped low to show a generous amount of cleavage even as Ryo could clearly see the gentle swell of her breasts to the sides of the vest where the material did not cover. Her movements were definite and seductive, and Ryo wondered suddenly who had seduced who.      After all, it took two people to tangle, did it not? As Ilene circled Ryo and then dropped caressing hands to his armor-clad shoulders, Ryo looked at Rufus and Molly. He saw the delicateness of their own frames and features and the beauty behind them and knew where they had gotten their fine looks from.      Ryo felt himself fall backwards and he flung his arms outward for balance. Molly and Rufus cheerfully waved farewell. Ilene wrapped her arms around Ryo and pulled him down through a swirl of scarlet and violet. They floated through it for a moment and a cry, clear and as beautiful as that of a glass bell's ring, rang outward. The arms slid away. Something lifted between Ryo's legs and a magnificent bird with feathers of gold and magenta appeared. He looked behind himself and saw the tail feathers streaming outward, leaving behind a rainbow of colors. The phoenix, splendid and magnificent, was longer than two of Byakuen's size from tip to tail, not including her own tail feathers.      The swirl of scarlet and violet disappeared and Ryo was hit in the face by the rushing wind as the phoenix dipped in the air.      "Where to, child of benevolence?" Ilene inquired in her musical voice.      "Uh, Japan!" Ryo clutched at the feathers at her neck as he tightened his legs where he sat at the crook of her shoulders. Wait, did she even know what he meant by that?      She must have, as Ilene angled her directions and flew onward. They were high over the ocean, the sky stretching around them sunny and beautiful. Ryo breathed the salty air as tears of relief stung at his eyes.      Home. He was finally coming home. It seemed that he had roamed the forest in the Realm of Chaos for years, though it had only actually been but half of a year. He felt his heart lighten and pound in happiness as sight came into land. He felt dizzy with relief and excitement.      "Where in Japan?" Ilene inquired as they flew to it.      Ryo was about to tell her about the district he lived in, then changed his mind. "Do you know where Morhon, the Black Dragon Queen, lives?"      "I do."      "Head there. Uh, please." Ilene's wings pumped and she lifted higher in the air. The ground beneath them swept by as a blur. After what might have been an hour, Ilene swooped downward and opened her wings to slow her descent. They were above a forest, its emerald green leaves a stunning vision that melted Ryo's heart as he compared it with the forest of the Realm of Chaos he had roamed in. These trees entwined like lovers with one another, proud and straight. A clearing, stark brown compared to its surroundings, appeared below them just as a brown lump took the shape of a building.      Ryo recognized his cabin. As Ilene landed, her wings beating to keep balance and sweeping up cloud of death, he noticed a clothes line someone had erected beside the cabin. Skirts and blouses hung drying from it. His eyes drank in everything both familiar and unfamiliar as he slid from Ilene's back and peered around.      A white blur dashed out of the shadows of the cabin with a roar and knocked Ryo over. Byakuen slathered sloppy kisses across Ryo's face even as the tiger's roars, translated by the Dragon Tears, were blathers of joy.      Morhon, wearing a tank top and a pair of jean cut offs, appeared directly behind Byakuen. She danced with joy and giggled like an excited child but stopped when she suddenly realized who was standing in her midst. The Black Dragon Queen and the Eternal Phoenix critically observed one another for a moment, and then bowed to each other. Ilene flapped her wings and lifted up into the air. She flew off into the distance, leaving behind a rainbow of colors.      Ryo finally pushed Byakuen off of him and stood up. He smiled affectionately at Morhon, who smiled back at him. "You're a sight to see," he said finally. Morhon blushed and giggled.      "Good or bad?" she asked.      "Good. Definitely." He looked around. "Oh, you can't imagine how wonderful it feels to be back after so long."      Morhon nodded and grabbed his hand. "I think I can," she said as she pulled him to the cabin. Ryo froze when a young woman with dark hair appeared in the doorway. Were it not for the starburst-like scar on her cheek, he would have thought her to be a stranger. He squinted at her. Itsue had grown into a young woman of her prime with her brown hair cropped at her chin and her eyes wide with uncertainly. As he stared at her, she turned and fled into the depths of the cabin.      Ryo looked down at Morhon who solemnly gazed up at him. "I've been gone six and a half months in the Realm of Chaos," he said. Something cold grew within him. "How long is that compared to here?"      "For us," Morhon said gently, "it has been little more than twelve years."   
  
  


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	16. Chapter Sixteen

Dragon Tears and Raven Curses - Chapter Sixteen

     "Ryo!" "Yaaay!" "Weee!"      Ryo ducked under the onslaught of popped party decorations that flew at him. He grinned at the sight of seeing his old friends-the Troopers and Nasutei with Jun, now a handsome young man, Morhon, Tadashi, and Itsue though the last three were hardly old friends-gathered together dressed in their finest. Byakuen pressed himself against Ryo' side. The gruff tiger refused to be far from Ryo in any way, which was why everyone was gathered together in Nasutei's mansion. It allowed the tiger to roam freely without Ryo having to worry about leaving behind somewhere else for the sake of ignorant civilians.      He may have been gone for half a year, but twenty-four times that had passed without his realizing it. While he was still young and lithe though hardened and somewhat bitter from the harsh time he had suffered in the Realm of Chaos, the others had matured. Nasutei had a few streaks of gray in her rich hair, Shuu was sporting a crew cut and a pot belly which came from "my lovely's finest cooking". Touma wore his hair long and secured at the nape of his neck. Shin now wore glasses and had old slash-like scars across his face from a battle that took place more than a decade ago. Only Seiji was the one who seemed not to have changed anymore than Ryo, with the exception of the gold ring that he casually wore on his left ring finger.      "So," Ryo rubbed his hands together, "what has happened in the time that I've been gone?' He smiled sardonically at the others, but they didn't seem to notice.      "Marriage," Seiji began.      "Babies," Shin added.      "Lots of them," Shuu added dryly.      Touma laughed and pointed at Shuu. "Three sets of twins, one after the other in four years in his case!" The others joined in the laughter as Shuu rolled his eyes.      Seiji shrugged. "Widowed."      "Jobs and job changes," Shin said.      "Yeah, after you bought the company," Jun cut in. He smiled at Ryo and pointed at Nasutei. "Nobel prize winners," he said with a wink. Nasutei blushed as Ryo brightened and turned to her.      "For what?" he asked.      "Discovery of cold fusion," Nasutei said softly. She nudged Touma, who stood next to her. "He did most of the ground work though." Touma shrugged modestly as the others clambered for Ryo's attention.      So much had changed. Ryo didn't know whether or cry because of all the missed opportunities of sharing these precious memories with his friends or to be glad he was back and alive to hear what had passed.      Seiji had been married and windowed twice-the first wife was killed in a car accident two years into the marriage and he married three years later to a woman who would later die in four years from a rapidly spreading cancer. He had four children, all of who were currently staying with their aunt. ("I swear Yayoi means to corrupt them!")      Touma and Nasutei joined forced together to discover a new sort of energy (neither really had anything else to do at the time) and discovered how to create cold fusion almost four years ago. After they received the Nobel Prize, they got married to one another. Ryo smiled at the news and felt glad for them as he saw Touma droop a protective arm around Nasutei.      Shuu had married a childhood sweetheart together they had three sets of twins within the first five years of their marriage. He currently ran his family's restaurant "and a zoo."      Jin was a mangaka whose manga, Samurai Troopers (Shin: "Cheap ass is stealing all our adventures and making tons of money off of it without sharing any royalties!"), was just bought by a company named Sunset to be produced into an anime. Ryo laughed long and hard at that, the first time he had laughed at anything in ages and was absolutely grateful for it.      Shin had worked in a small aquarium shop until his mother died. He sold his half of the inherited pottery business to his sister who had inherited the other half, and then used the money to buy the aquarium shop where he went from being manager to owner. He too had gotten married, but unlike Shuu and his six children, he only had two girls with his wife.      Ryo avoided any questioning about his own six months in the Realm of Chaos for the most part, only giving a partial account to his roaming the forest endlessly until he chanced to cross the great-grandchildren of the Chief Magistrate of Chaos (he wondered briefly at the stricken look that crossed Morhon's features, but said nothing). He left out all accounts of dying, the despair he had felt, and the slaughter he raged against the attacking wolves. Seiji's cold lavender eyes told Ryo that he knew he was leaving out more than that, as did the others, but Tadashi changed the subject by announcing the contests he and Itsue had arranged.      Ryo played a wild game of soccer against the others, beating them all, and wrestled with Byakuen in the bright sunlight as the others gathered around Morhon's barbecue. Tadashi told stories of the Meiji War, which everyone listened to with deep interest. As night fell, people began to wander off to beds Nasutei had arranged, but not before telling Ryo how much he had been missed and that they hoped to see him again.      The next morning they would all leave for the lives they had made for themselves for better or for worse. Ryo could not sleep so he wandered out to a balcony. He had wrapped a sheet around his body, otherwise clad only in his sleeping shorts. He peered out across Nasutei's estate. The moonlight gleamed off the lake in the distance.      He detected footsteps and knew, from their unique sound, that they were Seiji's. He sighed; his hearing was sharper than he had expected. He felt rather than saw Seiji as he came to a stop at Ryo's left.      "So much has changed," Ryo whispered as he leaned against the balcony's railing. "A new energy that revolutionized our industry and still spreading throughout the world; everyone has grown up and moved onto to stable lives. Jun is a man instead of a boy." He sighed. "It will take a while to adjust."      Seiji was silent. He moved to lean against the railing beside Ryo. A soft wind stirred his bangs. "Surely it will be easier to adjust to this world than the one you were in previously." Ryo shrugged, neither agreeing or disagreeing. "Do you want to speak about it?"      Ryo eyed Seiji with a slight smile. "Is the psychiatrist asking me?" he wondered.      Seiji laughed softly and threw an arm around Ryo's shoulders. "No, a friend asks you. A friend who loves you dearly and never gave up in your one day returning."      Ryo stared at Seiji. "Really? You never gave up hope?"      "Certainly not. As long as you were alive there was always hope for you returning. And we could sense that, Ryo. We could sense you were alive and there was a chance-marginal as it may have seemed-that you would come back to us."      Ryo's expression turned glum. "Yeah," he said. "Being alive." He folded his arms depressively. Seiji rubbed Ryo's bare back.      "How many times did you die?"      Ryo shook his head as he couldn't help but smile. "That is what everyone asks. 'How many times have you died?' It's like they've expected me to die many times over." Seiji remained silent and Ryo rolled his eyes. "Seventeen times."      Seiji whistled. "Man, that is something you may never live down."      Ryo made a face. "Tell me about it," he grumbled. He pounded his fists suddenly against the railing. "Dammit!" he cried. "I don't understand why so much time passed here versus the Realm of Chaos!"      Seiji covered Ryo's fist with one of his hands and gazed across the estate. "Morhon explained this to me," he began. "She said it had to do with the energy involved. Chaos is a realm of mayhem and disorder, and so much of it happens. For all of that to happen, it stretches the limits of time until for every hour that passes there a day passes here just so everything takes place in an ordered timing, if there is such a thing."      "But I missed so much." Ryo buried his face in his hands. "In the six months that I have been in that hell, I starved to death, was self-poisoned-that happened after I starved, I had to find something to eat-was ripped apart, beaten by bandits, and torn asunder. And while that was taking place, I missed you guys. I missed the wonderful things that happened to you and missed being able to participate in the celebration and participating in the memories! Damn!"      Seiji was silent for a moment before he patted Ryo's back again. "It's okay," he said      "No it's not," Ryo whimpered.      "Yes it is. No, listen to me." Seiji drooped an arm across Ryo's shoulder and hugged him close. "My being married, my getting a degree in psychiatry, all that means nothing to me compared to finally seeing you alive and being at your side to speak with you. It hurt me to do the things I did because I knew you wouldn't be there to celebrate with me. On the other hand, I knew I had to go on with my life, because, quite frankly, what would you have done if I moped for twelve years, doing absolutely nothing, as I waited for you to come back?"      Ryo only needed a moment to think about that. "I'd have chewed your ears off."      Seiji nodded. "Exactly. You would have been mad at me for wasting my life. And even though it pained me to do those things without you taking part with me, I still continued on because I knew that was what you wanted me to do. And none of those made me any more happy than having Morhon-bless her heart-call me up on the phone and say, 'Ryo is back! Let's paaaaartyyyyyy!' "      Ryo choked back a laugh. "Did she really say it like that?"      Seiji nodded again. "I think living in the modern world brought out the animal side of her."      Ryo's frame shook with laughter as he imagined the diminutive Dragon Queen in her human form, cradling the phone to her ear with one hand while the other pumped in the air, dancing joyfully around as she had the moment he had come back and was pounced on by Byakuen.      Seiji laughed along with Ryo for a moment, and then grew silent. Ryo's laughs eventually stopped though a chuckle would ripple through his chest now and then. Seiji hugged Ryo suddenly. "You're back," he said, "and that is the important thing. All those things that I did in the past mean nothing now. And whether or not they were important doesn't matter, because you know what?"      "What?"      "We have the rest of our lives ahead of us and thousands of chances in which to share special moments with one another. So what if you never got be apart of our memories. You can help us make new ones even more special than what we had before."      Ryo smiled at Seiji. "You're right."      "I know I am," Seiji replied haughtily. He and Ryo shared another laugh and Seiji finally clapped Ryo on the back. "Come now. We best get to bed or Morhon will get after us for staying up late."   
  
  
     Deep within the darkness was a small child lashed to a spot by dark chains. The child sniffed and sulked. He froze as a flash of bright white appeared before him and the Lord of Chaos, swathed in his crimson robes with the dragon skull perched his head like a helmet, the jaw pulled up to reveal the boyish face, frowned.      "It has come to my notice," he began, "that you are responsible for a child of Order appearing in my realm." The eyes narrowed dangerously and the boyishness disappeared, leaving behind a merciless ferociousness. The chaotic energy swirled around him like wafts of steam. The sheer force of the Lord of Chaos was almost overwhelming even as his presence was masked by the darkness. This cold and cruel man was the beast of disorder that Rufus and Molly had warned Ryo against ever meeting.      The child cringed before him. The Lord of Chaos' hand shot out to wrap around the child's throat. "Were you not in the Lady Morhon's jurisdiction, I would destroy you," he snarled. "You trespassed in my region, used my realm for your own sake, and that is unforgivable. The scent of Chaos covers you like a heavy blanket and I know the reason why you are here is because the Lady Morhon is trying to purge you from that." The sound of steel rang clearly and a sword, its blade as black as the crystal at the Lord's forehead, appeared within his hand.      The grip tightened and the child whimpered. His eyes were wide with terror as he stared at the blade.      "Lady Morhon is the queen of the darkness, but I am the Lord of Chaos, and it is within my right to punish you for what you have done." The blood-red eyes narrowed. The sword flashed and the chaos became a whirlpool of agony, terror, and madness.      Screams, raw and filled with horror and pain, rocked through the dark as dreadful fantasies became realities and Chaos, in its form as the beast of disorder, howled with triumph.      The screams continued for a long time.   
  
  
     The next morning dawned bright and clear, fresh with chances and surprises.      Which was exactly what Ryo got when Morhon informed him of his living arrangements.      "Wait a minute . . ." He stared at Morhon who stared back and at Itsue, who refused to look him in the eye. "You two are my permanent live-in guests?"      Morhon pointed at Tadashi. "Him too."      Tadashi backed away from them. "Oh no you don't. You can leave me out of this mess." He flitted away to hide behind Byakuen.      "You see," Morhon began patiently, as if she had explained this a dozen times over to different people, "Itsue had no family-well, she had some distant cousins, but it was really not an option for her to appear suddenly at their doorstep and say, 'Remember me? I'm the side of the family that has been missing for over fifty years.' " She snorted. "Wouldn't work, I'm afraid. So I adopted her as my daughter seeing as how I had nothing better to do than to go back to sleep-and with you missing, I certainly had no such intention. So we stayed together in your cabin with Byakuen, waiting for you to come back. I figured that it would be one of the first places you would return and thought it best if someone you knew would be there."      Ryo scratched his head. "So now you guys are living with me?"      Morhon shrugged. "Why not? It's either your cabin or my cave, and frankly, your cabin is much less draftier and more cozier than my dreary cave."      Ryo looked from Morhon to Itsue. She nervously twisted a short strand of hair around her fingers. Ryo gestured to Morhon and walked over to stand beside Byakuen, which was just out of Itsue's hearing. Morhon, curious as to what Ryo was up to, trailed behind him. He nodded to Itsue and gathered words together to voice his concern. "She doesn't get out often, does she?" he asked finally.      Morhon shook her head. "She's frightened by the world and its technology," she replied simply. "She sometimes ventures beyond the village not far from the cabin, but she rarely speaks to anyone." She winked at Ryo. "She has grown into a cute young lady, hasn't she?" she asked slyly, nudging Ryo in the side.      Ryo felt a blush turn his face scarlet. "Er, yeah. But what I was trying to say is if my being around makes Itsue nervous, then maybe I should just stay with Seiji or something."      Byakuen growled as Morhon pursed her lips and fiercely shook her head. "I will allow none of that!" the Black Dragon Queen stated sternly. "Itsue is just afraid that you may hate her because she was involved with the mess where you winded up in the Realm of Chaos. She blames herself for your suffering and feels guilty. You of all people should know what that is like! Your leaving will only make her feel that her fears have been confirmed." She smacked his arm smartly with her hand. "Now you go over there and offer to carry her bag for her like a gentleman!"      Ryo looked at Byakuen for help, but the tiger glared at Ryo with the same look in his eyes as Morhon. Ryo sighed, resigned, and walked over to Itsue. They did not hear what he said to her, but she nervously shook her head at his words. The next thing he said made her blush, and after a few moments, he extended his arm out to her.      Blushing brightly, Itsue accepted his arm after only a short hesitation and Ryo plucked her small traveling bag up in his other hand. They walked off to the car Tadashi had driven (Morhon was too short to see over the steering wheel and the car was different from what Ryo was used to since it was built to run off of cold fusion; something most people of the world could not yet afford but was a gift from Nasutei and Touma) and Ryo helped Itsue inside.      Morhon sighed, a dreamy look crossing her face. Tadashi and Byakuen exchanged looks. They could practically hear the wedding bells that rang within her mind.      "Match maker," Byakuen growled.      "Ah shush." Morhon quieted him with a simple wave of her hand as she continued to gaze at the couple.   
  
  


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